Wildflowers of the United States

Home Journal Family Index - All States Photo Albums News About Privacy

Maryland Meadow Beauty, Pale Meadow Beauty - Rhexia mariana


Family: Melastomataceae - Melastome family Genus Common Name: Meadow Beauty Native Status: NativeDicot Perennial Herb Leaves:Opposite Leaves:Simple
Rhexia mariana - Maryland Meadow Beauty, Pale Meadow Beauty. Rhexia is a small genus of about 13 species, all of them in North America, and is the only genus in the Melastome family found on the continent outside of south Florida. A family primarily of tropical plants, most species are found in Central and South America. Rhexia is mostly a genus of the southeastern United States, not found west of Texas to Wisconsin, with only two species found north of Virginia. The species presented here, Rhexia mariana, is one of those two, ranging as far north as Michigan and New York. The other is Rhexia virginica, which ranges even further northward, found in New England and parts of eastern Canada. There are at least two varieties of Rhexia mariana - var. mariana and var. exalbida. The latter is usually white and has linear leaves.

Found in:
AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV, GS

Leave comments on Rhexia mariana at this link.
Rhexia mariana

Distribution of Rhexia mariana in the United States and Canada:
Map unavailable.
Map courtesy of The Biota of North America Program.
Map color key

Search Our Database: Enter any portion of the Scientific, Common Name, or both.
Scientific name:
Common name:

Example: Enter "lob" in the common name field and you'll get all our species that have "lobelia" in the common name, as well as "sharp-lobed hepatica".

Do a general Google search of the entire site:

Follow on Twitter
Follow USWildflowers on Twitter



Site: Gruetli-Laager, Grundy County, TN Date: 2007-July-12Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Maryland Meadow Beauty has 4 pale pink petals (white in var. exalbida) with prominent stamens with long yellow anthers.
Rhexia mariana
Site: May Prairie State Natural Area, Coffee County, TN Date: 2017-July-10Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D7000
The shape of the stigma is a differentiator between similar-looking Evening Primroses, which have a cross-shaped stigma. The stigma is round in Rhexia. The hypanthium is distinctly urn-shaped.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Rhexia mariana
Site: May Prairie State Natural Area, Coffee County, TN Date: 2017-July-10Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D7000
Rhexia mariana grows to about 30 inches tall, and may or may not be branched. It is hairy. The leaves are opposite and elliptic, lanceolate, or ovate (linear in var. exalbida), up to about 2.5 inches long. The leaves are 3-nerved with the surface nearly glabrous to hairy.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Rhexia mariana
Site: May Prairie State Natural Area, Coffee County, TN Date: 2017-July-10Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D7000
The stem of Maryland Meadow Beauty is somewhat four-angled and is glandular-hairy.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Rhexia mariana
References used for identification and information:
#ad
Rhexia mariana initially published on USWildflowers.com 2008-12-31; Updated 2018-06-23

Commercial / Cookie Notice

Looking for Wildflowers for a specific state? Check here:



All content except USDA Plants Database map Copyright Gerald C. Williamson 2024
Photographs Copyright owned by the named photographer



Code Update 20230302