This is widely distributed on damp fertile soils in east-central states, but generally rare except around southern Wis., southern Ohio and western Pa. (K). It is absent from some productive regions now largely converted to farmland, such as the Bluegrass and Nashville Basin (Ch), but a somewhat disjunct population remains along the lower Tennessee Rv. Historic declines seem to have occurred across large eastern sectons of its range (FNA 20, W), with few records from Ky., Ind. or Ill. after 1950-1970 (Anderson 1994). The increasingly imperiled status of this lowland perennial is presumably due to woodland clearance, associated farming and excessive livestock. H. suaveolens may be relatively attractive to large herbivores (Anderson 1994); 2n = 40 (versus 50-56). It can spread by slender rhizomes, forming large weedy patches in gardens (D, St). However, its widely spreading fleshy roots may be highly sensitive to drought, damage, herbivores or fungi during the growing season, since plants can decline or die within 20-30 days after such shocks (in repeated experience of JC). Hasteola has been recently revived as a genus, containing only suaveolens and the disjunct endangered species in central Fla., H. robertianum L.C. Anderson (Anderson 1994, FNA 20). Subsequent research has shown that this genus is "deeply embedded" within a redefined Senecio (Pelser et al. 2007), and the name S. suaveolens (L.) Ell. has now been followed by K, W and others. Yet, curiously, alkaloids have not been reported from this species or from Arnoglossum species in eastern North America.