This tall rhizomatous woodland plant of damp fertile soils is widespread in eastern and central North America, but it is generally restricted to larger river valleys with little access for livestock. It is rare to absent along streams in farmed regions of Ky. and Tenn., including the Bluegrass region, Mississippian Plateaus and Nashville Basin (Ch). R. laciniata is highly variable across its range (2n = 36 to 102+), but almost all plants in Ky. are referable to var. laciniata. Young shoots have been much eaten by native people (Perry 1974, White 1975), and at least one modern wild food enthusiast in Ky. (A. Ozinskas, pers. comm.), but the flavor is intense without much cooking. Older plant material may be unpalatable or toxic for most mammalian herbivores (Skidmore & Peterson 1932).