Its distribution extends from Maryland south to Florida and west to Texas in the US,[3] and along the Mexican Gulf Coast to the Yucatán Peninsula.

[5] As the head dries and the flowers fall away, it becomes a hard, spiny, burr-like body packed with the small fruits.

[9] The flowering season varies geographically and according to weather conditions, but along the US Gulf Coast it usually takes place from June to August.

It occurs on beaches, dunes, and barrier islands, in saline and brackish wetlands and mangroves.

[11] Other insects associated with it include the delphacid planthopper Pissonotus quadripustulatus, aphids of the genus Uroleucon (formerly Dactynotus), the leafhopper Carneocephala floridana,[16] and the gall midge Asphondylia borrichiae.

Destruction of tissue in this part of the plant can stop its growth, prevent its flowering, and kill the whole stem.

Each contains a fly larva which feeds on fungus growing inside the gall, then pupates and emerges as an adult.