The plant most often grows on steep, west-facing limestone slopes next to a road in one canyon in the Santa Fe National Forest. Other plants in the area include ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii), mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus), Woods' rose (Rosa woodsii), poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii), Indian hemp]] (Apocynum cannabinum), western yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and white ragweed (Hymenopappus newberryi).
