FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Flowers appear fresh in morning, but often fading by day's end, especially in heat. Four-sided, hairy stems not symmetrical, having two sides rounded and wider than the other two sides.
Description: Medium height, upright, perennial herb; stems generally about 30 to 40 cm tall.
Leaves: Opposite, small, variable leaves, hairy with three parallel veins, 2.5 to 5 cm long. Leaves attach directly to stem or with a very short petiole.
Flowers/Fruit: Showy, pale or medium pink flowers, 3 cm wide, with 8 conspicuous yellow jointed stamens. Petals pale or medium pink, 2.5 cm long. Fruits urn-shaped capsules with globular bases. Blooms May to October; fruits soon after flowering.
Habit and Range: Found statewide in ephemeral pond edges, pine wetlands, wet meadows, pocosin edges, and upper edges of wet ditches.
COMMON CONFUSIONS:
Most other Rhexia species in North Carolina are found just in the Coastal Plain, but Rhexia mariana (Maryland meadow-beauty) is common throughout. R. mariana is similar to R. nashii (Nash's meadow-beauty) but R. mariana has a lighter pink flower, a shorter neck on the fruit, and wider leaves.
Click here to view Rhexia nashii.
Link to side-by-side comparisons page
