This creeping perennial (flowering mostly May-Jun in Ky.) is supposed by some authors (e.g. F) to have native and alien genotypes in North America; 2n = 18 and 32-36. There is no documented morphological distinction in North American plants, but they may be generally less robust than European plants and have paler flowers.The earliest records from Ky. are colls. made in the 1930s (B; Wharton 1945; SERNEC 2024). In Ky. officinalis is largely restricted to acid soils in Appalachian regions and the Knobs. It does not appear to be particularly weedy, although it can spread locally in flower beds of urban areas.