| Author | Bailey | |
| Distribution | Weakley (2024) has pulled this taxon out as a good species, as some other authorities have done; it appears as a species in NatureServe, for example. Though SERNEC lists no specimens in its collections herbaria, the BONAP map shows a record for Wilkes County, and Weakley's (2024) map shows it as being in the NC Mountains. Presumably pulled out from the widespread and very common R. flagellaris, and thus it is presumed that some collections under that name in herbaria may well be R. steelei.
"NH to ON and MN, south to GA, AL, and s. MO, evidently disjunct in nc. TX" (Weakley 2024). Given this range, including into central and southern GA, it likely is present farther downstate in NC. | |
| Abundance | Completely unknown. Weakley's (2024) range map shows it is "rare" in all states where present on his map, except "uncommon" in the VA Coastal Plain. For now, the website editors, based on the range map in his flora, will go with SU (= Undetermined), as NC appears to lie wholly within the range. | |
| Habitat | Not given in Weakley (2024), but probably in fields and brushy areas. | |
| Phenology | Likely similar to R. flagellaris -- blooming in April and May, and fruiting from May to July. | |
| Identification | "Canes 2-3 mm in diameter; prickles 1-2 mm long; primocane leaves mostly with 3 leaflets; inflorescences with 1-6 flowers" for R. steelei, as opposed to "Canes 3-5+ mm in diameter; prickles 2-4 mm long; primocane leaves mostly with 5 leaflets; inflorescences with 4-12 flowers" for the presumably very widespread R. flagellaris, based on Weakley (2024). | |
| Taxonomic Comments | Formerly included within R. flagellaris.
| |
| Other Common Name(s) | None | |
| State Rank | [SU] | |
| Global Rank | GNR | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
