This species was grown in Britain in 1775. It was not recorded from the wild until 1933, and has only ever been known at a few sites. Numbers in individual populations can fluctuate greatly, and it is vulnerable to herbicides. It is less common in Breckland than at the time of the 1962 Atlas, although it has been successfully introduced to new sites.
An annual found naturalised on free-draining sandy soils, usually where there is regular disturbance. Habitats include the edges of arable fields, on tracks, sandy banks, and open rough grassland.
