This occurs mostly in northeastern states and adjacent Canada. It is a close relative of aequinoctialis but much less variable and less widely distributed; 2n = 40, 42. Distinction needs to be checked in some colls. These two species differ from the minor complex (with obscura and turonifera) as follows (FNA 22, W): root sheath winged at the base (versus not winged); root tip sharply pointed (versus mostly rounded); roots not longer than 3 cm long (versus often longer); anthocyanin absent in fronds (versus absent or present).