This is widespread in eastern North America and in Central America. It is clearly the most common variety in the state, but some colls. need to be checked. A few colls. from LINC and ROCK (KY) may be transitional to the var. palustris (with larger, more angled fruit), which has also been reported from CALL (Catling 1998) and HICK (Grubbs 1989). P. palustris may also be confused--or perhaps hybridized--with P. pectinata Lam., which occurs largely on the southeastern Coastal Plain, but also at disjunct sites on the Cumberland Plateau in Tenn. (Ch, Catling 1998). P. pectinata has been reported from Ky. (Cranfill 1990), but apparently in error (M).