The species is found at elevations between 1,100–1,700 metres (3,600–5,600 ft) in the states of Arizona and Utah, in the Southwestern United States.^[2] It grows in soils derived from sandstone.^[3]

Encelia resinifera is a shrub ranging in height from 40–150 centimetres (1.3–4.9 ft). The trunk, which becomes fissured with age, supports slender stems.^[3]

The leaves, which range between 10 and 25 mm in length, are ovate or lanceolate and are usually pointed at the tips.^[3]

The yellow flowerheads are borne singly, appearing between May and July (late fall to mid-summer) in their native range. These have 8-13 ray florets.^[3]

Subspecies edit

Two subspecies have been identified:

• Encelia resinifera subsp. resinifera — button brittlebush.^[4]
• Encelia resinifera subsp. tenuifolia C.Clark — found in the Grand Canyon area. It has both leaves and ray laminae with a length that is more than three times their width.^[3]

Encelia resinifera was originally described as a variety of Encelia frutescens (Encelia frutescens var. resinosa) by M.E.Jones in 1913.^[5] In 1998 it was reclassified as a distinct species by Curtis Clark.^[3][6]