It is native to eastern and central North America, from Ontario east to New Hampshire and south as far as Florida, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

Plants are found in full sun to part shade in mesic to wet soils.

The purplish flowers are produced in large loose, convex shaped compound corymbiform arrays.

Plants bloom mid to late summer and attract much activity from insects that feed on the nectar produced by the flowers.

[11] The larvae of Calycomyza flavinotum, a leaf miner fly, create blotch-shaped mines on the leaves.