Flowering May-Sep. Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland and chaparral communities, oak and conifer woodlands; 800-2100 m; Calif.
Variety hispidulum is the Sierra Nevada component of the species. Like var. inerme, it is rare to infrequent at widely scattered sites. It is found in the Transverse Ranges (Santa Barbara, Ventura, southwestern Kern, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino counties) but is concentrated mainly in Fresno, Kern, and Tulare counties, with a disjunct series of populations in Mariposa County and in the Long Barn and Pinecrest areas of Tuolumne County. A sharp distinction between the two varieties is not always possible in the Transverse Ranges, where both may be encountered.