This southeastern species occurs mostly on dry sandy soils east of the Mississippi Rv., from Ark. and La. to Md. and N.J. (K), especially where there is history of frequent fire. In Ky., it is most frequent on sandy ridges in the southern Cliff Section of the Cumberland Plateau. C. pallida remains unknown in Ohio and W.Va., but Braun (1943) and Little (1971) reported it from LEWI, at the northeastern edge of Ky. That record needs to be checked (with coll. perhaps at US). Curiously, there is virtually no mention of pallida in Braun (1950). Reports from calcareous regions in Ky. (CW) are probably erroneous. C. pallida can be difficult to distinguish from tomentosa, glabra or other species, and some records need checking using more detailed keys (e.g. W); see also notes under texana. Fruits are typically small, ca. 2-4 cm long (as in glabra, versus 3.5-5 cm in tomentosa), and distinctively yellowish-lepidote (versus mostly glabrous); they lack pyriform bases (which often occur in glabra), and often have slight wings along the sutures (resembling cordiformis). Nuts tend to be less sharply ridged (versus 4-angled), with thinner shells (2-3 mm versus 5-6 mm). Lower leaf surfaces have dense lepidote, peltate scales of varied size and shape (versus less dense in glabra and absent in tomentosa except for scattered small round scales), appearing silvery when fresh, without hairs (as in glabra, versus densely hairy in tomentosa). Leaflets are typically 7-9, as in tomentosa; they tend to be smaller (ca. 2-15 x 1-6 cm versus 4-19 x 2-8 cm), but can be unusually large on vigorous sprouts. Terminal buds are smaller than tomentosa (4-11 mm long versus 10-20 mm), reddish-brown, with silvery-lepidote scales (versus grayish and pubescent).