This broadleaved evergreen plant grows on the coastal plain of the southeastern United States from Virginia to Florida to Louisiana.

In soils poor in nutrients it does not flower and reproduces only by sprouting from the rhizome.

[1] This plant is a common species, growing in shrubby bogs, wet savannas, conifer swamps, and scrub.

It prefers acidic, saturated soils rich in organic matter, such as those in cypress swamps.

It shares the understory with other plants such as sweetbells (Eubotrys racemosa), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), sweet pepperbush (Clethera alnifolia), titi (Cyrilla racemiflora), laurelleaf greenbrier (Smilax laurifolia), honeycup (Zenobia pulverulenta), and oaks (Quercus spp.).