This perennial is widespread in woods across much of eastern North America, though rare to absent on the southeastern Coastal Plain. Its life-history has been intensively studied, especially the frequent "gynodioecy" of some populations, with male-sterile and hermaphrodite plants (e.g. Chang 2006). But there does not appear to have been a comprehensive survey of variation across its range, including cytology; Aedo (2001) recently noted 2n = 52. G. maculatum appears close to several diploids in western North America and Eurasia with 2n = 28.