Infrequent to common in wet and moist woods throughout the state although there are no records from the northwestern counties. This species prefers moist, alluvial soil along streams, where it is often a common plant; but it grows also in less favorable habitats such as roadsides and fallow fields.

Stems erect or ascending, 3-6 dm; some basal lvs long-petioled, simple or nearly so, others smaller and pinnate; principal cauline lvs pinnate or some trifoliolate, with several toothed and often deeply cleft divisions, the upper and lower cauline lvs reduced; sep triangular, reflexed; bractlets none; pet yellow or white, 1-2 mm; head of achenes on a stipe 1-2 mm; achenes 2-3 mm, minutely appressed-puberulent; terminal segment of the style 0.7 mm, inserted on the very tip of the basal segment; 2n=42. Rich woods; s. Ont. to s. Wis., Io., and Kan., s. to Tenn. and nw. Okla.; also c. and s. N.Y., N.J., and Pa. Apr., May.

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

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