Stems and basal lvs from a short rhizome to 8 cm, the stems slender, with long internodes, villous to glabrate, at first erect and often 2-3 dm tall at first flowering, but soon widely ascending, eventually arching to the ground and producing a terminal tuber; lfls 5, oblanceolate to elliptic or obovate, to 7 cm, evidently toothed; fls yellow, 10-15 mm wide, solitary on slender axillary pedicels, the lowest one usually in the axil of the second well developed cauline lf; anthers 0.6-1.0 mm. Dry woods and fields; Nf. and Que. to Minn., s. to Ala. and Tex. Apr.-June.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

From Flora of Indiana (1940) by Charles C. Deam

Frequent to common throughout the state in dry and moist soil in almost all kinds of habitats. It becomes abundant in old fallow fields. I have [variety argyrisma, a plant whose leaves are densely silvery-sericeus beneath,] from Warren County on a steep, gravelly slope along the railroad west of Covington, and from Benton County in a prairie habitat.

……

Indiana Coefficient of Conservatism: C = 2

Wetland Indicator Status: FACU