The native range of this small shrub is centered on the southern Blue Ridge, extending west to the Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mts. and east to the Piedmont (Ch, PL, W). It is known from several counties adjacent to Ky. in e. Tenn. anfd w. Va. (K, PL). L. fontanesiana was recently discovered in HARL and MADI by Abbott et al. (2001; BEREA). However, it is likely that plants in MADI were persistent from old plantings (CW; D. Taylor, pers. comm.).