This polyploid (2n = 16 x 8) of mesic woods on relatively infertile acid soils is most common in Appalachian regions, but it is scatttered west in somewhat disjunct populations as far as the Ouachitas of Ark. It appears to hybridize occasionally with other Dentarias. D. heterophylla is somewhat similar to diphylla but lacks the elongated rhizomes of that species; also, its stem leaflets tend to be smaller and narrower; see W for details.