This largely southern Apppalachian species was first discovered in Ky. by J. Thieret (#60592, 11 Jul 1999) and D. Brandenburg on a roadside at the head of the Green Rv. valley in LINC (KNK): "at edge of woods, rare, near headwaters of the Green River, ca. 6 miles south of Stanford" [along US 27 or perhaps a road southwest towards CASE]. In 2018, a non-flowering population with at least dozens of plants was found by JC and Aaron Floden in MADI (to be grown for herbarium) on a south-facing slope of Indian Fort Mountain about 1 mile west of Big Hill, where the woods are somewhat brushy due to past fires. It appeared to be native at both localities. The original range and habitats of this species remain uncertain (W). Typical habitat is described by W as: "Floodplains, mesic disturbed areas, woodland edges, roadbanks... Its natural habitat somewhat of a mystery". West of the Appalachians, this species is known only from several sites in central Tennessee, as well as these two sites in Ky. (K). The scattered isolated records from north and south of its core range (n. Ga., e Tenn. & w. N.Car.) have been hard to interpret in some cases, but there is no reason to doubt native status in c. Tenn. (Ch+) or in Ky. However, plants that occur north of Md., as far as southern Me., are considered to be all adventive or escapes from cultivation (K; Angelo & Boufford 2020).