FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
LeGrand et al. 2024 in the Vascular Plants of North Carolina say, "In this species, the stem at mid-stem level is unequal, in that one pair of opposite sides is broad and convex, with the opposite pair of sides being narrow, such that when you rotate the stem in your fingers, it is unequal in feel." Flowers appear fresh in morning, but often fading by day's end, especially in heat.
Description: Sparsely branching, upright, perennial herb, to 0.5 m tall, with large 4-petaled medium pink flowers.
Leaves: Opposite, small, variable leaves, hairy with three parallel veins, about 5 cm long. Leaves attach directly to stem or with a very short petiole.
Flowers/Fruit: Showy, rose-pink 4-petaled flowers, 3 cm wide, with 8 conspicuous yellow jointed stamens. Petals rose-pink, 2.5 cm long and with hairs on back. Fruits are smooth urn-shaped capsules with globular bases and extended necks. Blooms May to October; fruits soon after flowering.
Habit and Range: More often in pine-dominated wetlands, but also found in ditches, marshes, damp roadsides, and powerline clearings. Common in the Coastal Plain and rare in the eastern Piedmont.
COMMON CONFUSIONS:
R. nashii (Nash's meadow-beauty) has a darker/richer pink flower than Rhexia mariana (Maryland meadow-beauty); R. nashii fruit has a longer neck than R. mariana, about 1 to 1.5 cm long, and narrower leaves. R. nashii is similar to R. virginica (Virginia meadow-beauty) which has much wider leaves and slightly winged square-sided stems. R. virginica is common in the Coastal Plain and mountains, uncommon in the Piedmont.
Click here to view Rhexia mariana.
Link to side-by-side comparisons page
