3b. ssp. virginiana

P. virginiana var. speciosa (Sweet) A. Gray

P. formosior Lunell

P. speciosa Sweet

Plants often loosely colonial from long, branched, horizontal rhizomes. Blades of main foliage leaves (3–)10–40 mm wide. Inflorescences often lacking sterile bracts below the flowers, sometimes with 1–3 pairs of sterile bracts, these usually widely spaced, often 10–50 mm apart. Corollas 8–35 mm long. 2n=38. May–October.

Scattered nearly throughout the state, but uncommon in the Glaciated Plains and Mississippi Lowlands Divisions (Maine to Montana south to Kansas, Mississippi, and South Carolina; Canada). Banks of streams, rivers, and spring branches, bottomland forests, bottomland prairies, fens, and upland prairies; also old fields, ditches, railroads, roadsides, and disturbed areas.

This subspecies tends to occur in more mesic habitats than does ssp. praemorsa, but can also be found in drier habitats.