FNPS Plant Database

Rhexia spp.

meadow-beauty
  • Photo by: John Lampkin, Nature Coast FNPS
  • Photo by: John Lampkin, Nature Coast FNPS
  • Photo by: John Lampkin, Nature Coast FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Ginny Stibolt, Ixia Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

meadow-beauty

Synonym(s):

Rhexia mariana, Rhexia cubensis, Rhexia alifanus, Rhexia nuttallii, Rhexia petiolata, Rhexia virginica

Genus species:

Rhexia spp.

Family:

Melastomataceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

1-2 ft tall by 0.5 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

pink, white, yellow

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Winter dormant. Best bloom is from late spring through early fall.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower in moist garden. Forms colonies.

Considerations:

Availability:

Propagation:

Cuttings. Can also be grown from seed. Seeds are small and the seeds and seedlings need to be kept moist for success (based on information provided by the Lady Byrd Johnson Wildflower Center)

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Somewhat moist, no flooding

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies

Attracts bees and small butterflies. Bees, including  Augochloropsis anoizyina and Bombus impatiens have been documented on pale meadow beauty (Deyrup et al. 2002).

Native Habitats:

Wet prairie, cutthroat seep, wet flatwoods, wet roadsides, wetland transition zones.
There are several species most with similar culture in garden settings. In the wild, they differ in specific site tolerance and have different natural settings.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Citations:

Huegel, Craig, N.  2012.  Native wildflowers and other ground covers for Florida landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A gardener's guide to Florida's native Plants.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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