Coefficient of Conservatism:
7
Coefficient of Wetness:
-3
Wetness Index:
FACW
Physiognomy:
Nt A-Forb
A. A. Reznicek
on granite pavement
Moist sandy ditches, shores, and hollows (including borrow pits); depressions in forests (of oak, etc.); moist mixed forests, mossy swamps (hardwoods, tamarack); often with a thin layer of Sphagnum or Polytrichum; occasionally in drier ground.
Plants vary in stature from as short as 5 cm, with a single terminal flower, to as tall as 30 or even 40 cm, with as many as 40–50 flowers in a narrow compound cyme. Rarely a depauperate individual in a population may have all the leaves alternate, but such plants can be distinguished from B. paniculata by their slightly larger anthers and capsules dehiscing only below the obscure style. This plant has a distinctive greenish yellow color when fresh, while B. paniculata is often more purplish.