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| ## maryland meadowbeauty {#maryland-meadowbeauty .Title-Header}       |
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| *Rhexia mariana* L.                                                   |
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| Plant Symbol = RHMA                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

![Color image of Maryland Meadow Beauty (Rhexia
mariana)](media/image2.png){width="3.0in" height="2.0in"}**Uses**

This plant is used mainly for landscape beautification. It has potential
for use in cultivated, garden situations, in naturalized prairie or
meadow plantings, and along roadsides.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Several states consider this species threatened or endangered. Please
consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

Melastomataceae Family: An upright (up to 2.5 feet), hairy perennial
that frequently spreads to form large colonies. It is native to the U.S.
The opposite leaves are elongated, three-nerved, with toothed margins.
The pink to lavender or occasionally white flowers are produced from May
to October in small clusters near the top of the plant. Each flower is
1-2 inches in diameter and contains 4 petals; the yellow to orange
anthers in the center are elongated and curved downwards. The tiny tan
to brownish seeds are held in a reddish urn-shaped capsule.

#####  {#section .Header-3}

##### Adaptation and Distribution {#adaptation-and-distribution .Header-3}

Meadow beauty grows best in a sunny exposure. It is adapted to heavy
textured and to highly organic soils. Natural stands are usually found
on moist to wet sites such as in ditches, marshes, and wet meadows.

Maryland meadow beauty is distributed primarily throughout the East and
lower Midwest. For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant
Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Website.

#####  {#section-1 .Header-3}

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

A clean, firm seedbed is essential. The site should be treated with a
herbicide to control vegetation, tilled, culti-packed once or twice, and
allowed to settle thoroughly before sowing.

Broadcast 0.5-1 gram seed per 100 square feet (0.5-1 lb/acre). The seed
can be mixed with sand or rice hulls to increase volume so that it will
be easier to spread uniformly over the planting site. The seed must
remain on the soil surface because it is easily smothered when buried in
the soil. Heavy rains after planting may cause the seed to be buried or
washed from the site.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

Apply fertilizer according to soil test recommendations. If not
available, a rate of 3.5-5.5 oz per 100 square feet (100-150 lb/acre) of
13-13-13 should be applied after the seedlings are established and
annually thereafter. If necessary, stands can be mowed in the spring
before stem elongation begins. Later mowings should be delayed until the
plants have set seed.

##### Prepared By & Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-species-coordinator .Header-3}

USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

##### Edited: 05Feb2002 JLK; 060816 jsp {#edited-05feb2002-jlk-060816-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/).*