It is only found where its parent species are both present; in practice, this proves to be a few scattered sites in the Appalachian Mountains, Shawnee Hills, and Ozarks, reaching perhaps its greatest local abundance around Natural Bridge State Resort Park.
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It has been found in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Hocking County, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Madison County, Missouri, Arkansas, Dade County, Georgia, and Alabama.
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The first specimens of the fern to be recognized were collected by Edward Willis Graves in 1917 at Sand Mountain near Trenton, Georgia.