The currently accepted scientific name of chaparral pea is Pickeringia montana Nutt. Pickeringia m. ssp.
Chaparral pea is endemic to California.
It is distributed in the Coast Ranges from the Santa Monica Mountains north to Mendocino County, and in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada from Nevada County north to Butte County. It is also found on Santa Cruz Island. Pickeringia montana ssp. Chaparral pea occurs in mixed chaparral but is not usually dominant. Chaparral pea is important browse for black-tailed deer.