This diploid (2n = 22) is a weedy annual native to warmer American regions, but now pantropical. It is typical of shorelines and other open or disturbed habitats on damp fertile soils. The name E. alba (L.) Hassk. has been applied to plants in the Western Hemisphere, but these may not be clearly distinct (FNA 21, Y and citations). Other species of Eclipta are native to southeast Asia and Australia.