The native range of this cespitose perennial was centered in the Ozark-Ouachita region, and extended north to the Great Lakes, but apparent not se. Ill., sc. Ind. (D) or w. Ky. In southeastern states and perhaps even Mo. (St), lanceolata has been "often spread by cultivation, its original range obscure" (W). However, it appears to be native in some regions of Tenn. (D. Estes, pers. comm.). In Ky. native status is sometimes suggested, but the first record was by Harvill (1941); see also 1942 colls. of R.M. Kriebel at Purdue. It has often been misleadingly promoted as a wildflower along roadsides or in gardens, then persisting or spreading. C. lanceolata is variable (2n = 24, 26, 48) and can hybridize with other species, including auriculata, grandiflora and pubescens (Smith 1976). A few colls. from GRAV (MUR), WARR (KY, WKY) and elsewhere appear referable to var. villosa Michx (which is perhaps hybridized with pubescens) but this and other variants have generally not been recognized in recent treatments (FNA 21, Y, W). Some colls. may need checking for possible confusion with grandiflora. C. lanceolata differs as follows (Ch, W): stems with leaves basally concentrated, generally restricted to the lower half (versus throughout), the peduncle usually at least as long as the leafy part of the stem (versus less than half); leaves entire or with 1-2 (4) divisions, these distinctly smaller than the terminal (versus mostly with 1-5+ divisions, if 3 or less then some divisions about as large as the terminal).