The taxonomy and the limits of species in this complex are up for grabs, with wildly discordant interpretations to be found in the current literature. For purposes of this project the name dumetorum is being used in the usual sense of recent decades, for the low-elevation, inland entity in California. It occurs in chaparral, coastal scrub, rocky foothill canyons and lower-montane chaparral and rock gardens. It is slightly larger than the higher-altitude entity (with which it is sympatric at Lang!) and less bluish-green below. Males are territorial perchers. Occasionally common.

The correct taxonomy of all our little green hairstreaks is up for grabs. At any rate, this is a high montane-to-alpine animal, found from Lang (where it co-occurs with C. dumetorum) through Donner to Castle Peak and (formerly) Sierra Valley. It flies in very early spring (which can mean July at high elevation!), shortly after snowmelt, typically in subalpine or alpine "rock gardens" in association with various wild buckwheats (Eriogonum) which are its presumed hosts.