This widespread southeastern species occurs in woods on relatively moist and fertile soils, especially along trails and other areas with disturbance on the ground. Despite this association with moderate disturbance, the species is rare to absent in more agricultural landscapes, perhaps due to past grazing by livestock. In contrast to glutinosum and nudiflorum (Isely 1990; F, W), flowers of pauciflorum are white (versus usually pink to puplish); loment stipes are 5-9 mm long (versus ca. 5-20 mm). Its leaves are all alternate (versus verticillate below inflorescence); stems are less erect and tend to spread over the ground, with axillary inflorescences as well as terminal; inflorescences are mostly 1-2 dm long (versus 2-8 dm). Root systems tend to be more branched, with filiform to nodulose segments.