This annual or biennial is widespread across southeastern states, except that it it is rare to absent in the central and upper Ohio Rv. watershed and at higher elevation in the central Appalachian Mts. (K). It usually grows in varied types of grassy open areas, fields and roadsides on medium-acid soils. In addition to diagnostic differences in its fruits and involucral bracts (FNA 19, Y), Pyrrhopappus has relatively large heads with involucres ca. 10-25 mm high (versus 5-12 mm in Crepis and Hieracium recorded from Ky.); 2n = 12 (as in no other native Cichorieae).