This tetraploid (2n = 36) is widely scattered across eastern states but concentrated on dry sandy soils in a broad band from the Great Lakes to Tex. and La., and also on the Coastal Plain to southern New England (FNA 25). As in Ky., the species is generally uncommon between these two zones. In Ky it is known mostly from high sandy terraces of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, or on nearby roadsides.