Colonies of Vernonia angustifolia and V. glauca and their putative hybrids were studied in west-central Georgia. Extrapolations from morphological and flavonoid data suggested that the hybrids were backcrosses with V. angustifolia rather than F1 progeny. Verification of V. glauca as one of the hybrid’s antecedents was puzzling, as it had never been reported within a hundred-mile radius of the study area. During the course of subsequent field work this mystery was resolved when V. glauca was found nearby. This study offers an explanation why V. glauca is largely absent from west-central Georgia and east-central Alabama and provides a hypothesis as to the cause of these and other Vernonia hybrids found in that section of the Piedmont.