It is native to the eastern United States, where it occurs on the coastal plain from New Jersey to Alabama.

[2][3] This perennial herb produces stiff stems up to about 70[2] to 100[3] centimeters tall.

[2] This species grows in several types of wetland, including bays, bogs, flatwoods, seasonally moist pools and meadows, and savannas.

It may grow in the understory of Taxodium ascendens with Panicum hemitomon, Polygala cymosa, Lobelia boykinii, Sagittaria spp., and Lachnanthes caroliniana.

During development, the local hydrology is altered, eliminating natural springs and causing polluting runoff.