This is widespread on damp acid soils in woods of eastern North America, except on the southeastern Coastal Plain. There has been some confusion in Ky. with the more northern var. copulata (or as a species), and some records need to be rechecked. Both are variable species in cytology (Naczi 1999b):: for laxiculmis, 2n = 44, 46 and 50; for copulata, 2n = 46 and 48.