The central stem is light green, smooth and hairless, and cylindrical; there are pairs of opposite leaves along the sides that tend to droop.

[6] An ovoid seed capsule evolves subsequent to the corollas of the flowers turning brown and falling off.

[4] Varieties include: Chelone obliqua is native to various states in the eastern and central parts of the country, including: Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

[1][10][11][12] It is found as tetraploid in the Blue Ridge Mountains; or as hexaploid in areas ranging from Tennessee to Arkansas and Michigan, and on the Atlantic coastal plain from South Carolina to Maryland.

[5] It is best grown in moist to wet, rich, humusy soils in full sun to partly shaded regions.

C. obliqua is tolerant of clay soil, and may benefit from leaf mulch in total sunlight to prevent it from drying out.

[3] Some problems that may arise include a disposition to powdery mildew, rust, fungal leaf spots, and damage from slugs and snails.