This subspecies is heavily adapted to a Mediterranean alpine climate, syncing its main vegetative growth and flowering with the arrival of cool winter rains and spring snowmelt. It pushes its pale yellow flowers on short, branched stalks from mid-spring to early summer. As the Southern California mountain backcountry dries out and bakes under the intense heat of mid-to-late summer, the plant enters a profound, protective dormancy—its outer leaves shrivel and turn paper-thin, forming a insulating sheath around the living core. In cultivation, it is highly susceptible to crown and root rot if watered when air temperatures are high; it demands an exceptionally sharp-draining, mineral-dominant substrate (like an 80% pumice and decomposed granite mix) and should be watered only during the cool months of winter and early spring, keeping it completely dry and shaded during its summer rest.