This widespread eastern species is the most common species of the genus in Ky. Although rhomboidea is a weedy annual, it is remarkably pervasive within relatively natural vegetation, so long as there are patches of bare disturbed soil for germination in spring. This species (and perhaps the whole genus) tends to be avoided by mammalian herbivores, and it can increase with browing pressure on the vegetation (e.g. Averill et al. 2017). However, leaves do not have obvious repellant bitterness or acridity, being generally "mealy" to human taste (pers. obs.). There is an ecological series of related species from mesic to xeric sites: deamii, rhomboidea, virginica, gracilens, monococca. All of these may be distinct species, but further revision is needed (Y).