This widespread eastern species is scattered through woods on damp fertile soils in Ky., especially along trails. Plants appear relatively unpalatable to deer, and seeds are probably dispersed in mammalian fur. The species is rarely abundant, and it is often overlooked or confused with other boraginaceous plants. It has had various human medicinal uses, but it is generally avoided by mammalian herbivores (Moerman 2009, Roeder et al. 2015).