It is native to the eastern United States where it is only found near limestone cedar glades of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

[1] It is considered rare in all states it is found except Tennessee, where it is common in the Nashville Basin due to the abundance of available habitat.

[2] It is found in more wet-mesic areas than typical Leavenworthia of the region, often growing in standing water.

It is a winter annual, which makes it well adapted for the extreme wet and dry seasons of the cedar glades.

It produces a relatively large yellow and white flower in early spring and dies with the arrival of summer.