Mapping is provisional. This close relative of hederifolia has been only identified in North America since the 1960s (especially in east-central states), but it appears to have been generally overlooked until recent years (FNA 17). The first known Ky. coll. was in 1996 (Cusick # 32911 at CM, EKY, MO, MU). V. sublobata reportedly differs from hederifolia as follows (FNA 17, W; Bomble 2015, Atha et al. 2021, Adanick 2023): seeds averaging 2.5 x 2.1 mm (versus 2.8 x 2.3 mm), light rusty brown (versus light yellowish brown);;corollas usually pale blue to whitish at center (versus bright blue with bright white center), the petals about 2 mm long (versus 2-3 mm); styles 0.2-0.7 mm long (versus 0.6-1.1 mm); anthers pale blue to whitish (versus bright blue), 0.4-0.8 mm long (versus 0.7-1.2 mm); mature pedicels 3-6× as long as the calyx (versus 2-4×), usually with scattered long hairs and sometimes short hairs in a line (versus mostly short hairs in a line); leaves usually paler, thinner and more obtuse, mostly with 5-7 lobes (versus 3-5); 2n typically = 36 (versus 54). It is likely that much material of so-called "hederifolia" in Ky. should be reassigned to sublobata. For the British Isles, where both taxa are widespread, BSBI (2022) states: "In contrast to subsp. hederifolia, subsp. lucorum is usually found in shady places [versus open, unshaded], including woodland rides and hedgerows, though plants may also occur in open sites... [but]... Although subsp. lucorum differs from subsp. hederifolia in chromosome number, the morphological separation of the two taxa is often difficult." Silverside (1977) found that stomatal size was also diagnostic and stated: "Both... occur widely in Britain, ssp. lucorum on loams and clays, where it is predominantly a species of gardens and shady places, and ssp. hederifolia on sandy soils, where it may be frequent on arable land." V. sublobata in Ky. generally appears associated with more bare or disturbed soil than hederifolia (especially tree bases or horticultural beds with mulch or compost); shade itself may not be a significant factor.