Typical arborescens is a widespread eastern species typical of mesic rocky banks in ravines, especially just above floodplains. In some parts of the midwest, browsing by deer has been implicated in restricting the species to steep banks (e.g. Weeks & Weeks 2012), and summer browsing of leaves is sometimes observed in Ky.. However, the reported degree of browsing is has been generally low across its range (e.g. Atwood 1941, Fargione et al. 1991). Also, plants may be relatively unpalatable to beavers (Rossell et al. 2013). In Ky., as in most of its range, arborescens usually has some sterile (or just staminate) radiant flowers with showy calyx around the margin of the corymb..An extraordinary cultivar of arborescens that is reported to originate from the wild in s. Ill. is named "Annabelle" (McDaniel 1962); this has profuse radiant flowers across the whole corymb. Similar plants occur rarely in Mo. (Y), s. Ind. (where D treated them as var. sterilis T. & G.) and s. Ohio ("Snowhill"; McDaniel 1962), but they have not been found in Ky. Plants without any radiant flowers may be predominant in Appalachian regions of Ga. (M. Medley, pers comm.), Tenn., Ky. (D. Taylor, pers. comm.), and Ohio (including all plants observed by JC in the Shawnee State Forest of Scioto Co.). Further investigation is needed to determine the status of such plants. See also notes under the closely related species, H. cinerea.