It is endemic to the Piedmont region around the border between Virginia and North Carolina, and is today restricted to the Dan River watershed.

[3][4] The plant was rediscovered in the 1980s and for a while was presumed to be a rare North Carolina endemic; populations in Virginia have been confirmed since.

[1][3] The plant was federally listed as an endangered species in 1989 when it was known from only four tiny populations on unprotected private land.

[5]: 34  This habitat around the North Carolina–Virginia border has been impacted by human activity such as conversion to pasture, agricultural fields, and residential property.

[1] The land is also affected by surface runoff and herbicide drift from nearby agricultural operations, and trampling by livestock may occur.