This occurs mostly on sandy soils in Appalachian and mid-Atlantic regions, from Me. to Ga., plus scattered localities in the Great Lakes region. It is locally common in thin disturbed woods and along trails on Pine Mt. (especially HARL and LETC). The disjunct coll. by the Brownes #5686 (EKY) from TODD (steep wooded SW-facing slope, Ky 181 2.6 mi S of Ky 107) is one of only two records from the Interior Low Plateaus. The other is from Maury Co. of c. Tenn. (Ch). A globally endangered butterfly, the "frosted elfin" (Callophrys irus) is specialized for feeding on this plant species and (further north) Lupinus perennis; other occasional food-plants are B. australis and Crotolaria sagittalis (Shepherd 2005).