This diploid (2n = 18) is restricted rocky banks of large streams and rivers in somewhat disjunct watersheds of the Appalachian Plateaus (Knapp et al. 2020). In Ky. pulchra is known only from boulder-cobble bars of the Big South Fork of Cumberland Rv., often close to populations of Conradina verticillata. It has been recently described as a species distinct from M. grandiflora Beadle & F.E. Boynt., which is now based on just six colls. from damp or rocky sites in the Southern Blue Ridge of N.Car., where it has not been recorded since 1919. There has also been some confusion with M. legrandii Weakley, which is known only from two localities in the Piedmont of N.Car. and Va. (W). Compared to grandifolia, pulchra has relatively small fruits (cypselas with pappus) and leaves. Compared to both pulchra and grandiflora. legrandii is a more robust plant with more elongated leaves and smaller pappus scales; see Knapp et al. (2020) for details.