This plant grows in the transition between desert scrub and grassland. In the Santa Rita Mountains it grows on limestone talus and in Mexico it has been found on granite. Other plants in the habitat include Eysenhardtia, Erythrina, Cercidium floridum, Tecoma, Agave schottii, Heteropogon, Fouquieria, Calliandra, Opuntia spp., Krameria, Janusia gracilis, Agave palmeri and Hibiscus coulteri.