This recently described species occurs mostly in unglaciated Appalachian regions (centered on the Cumberland Plateau), Piedmont, and non-calcareous sections of the Interior Low Plateaus. There are also small disjunct populations west to Ark. and Mo. (Naczi et al. 2001; FNA 23; K). It was segregated from the more southern abscondita, which occurs mostly on the Coastal Plain. Records of abscondita from Palmer-Ball et al. (1988), Cusick (1989), McKinney et al. (2000) and others should generally be transferred to cumberlandensis. Both abscondita and cumberlandensis are close to digitalis (plus its segregates), and have often been overlooked due to their short fertile shoots, hidden among leaves. They can be confused with digitalis in the vegetative condition (FNA 23, but their leaves tend to be darker green (or "grayish blue-green" in abscondita), and wider (mostly 2-8 mm versus 2-4.5 mm). They are typical of damper habitats.