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Golden Meadow-beauty

Rhexia lutea (REKS-ee-uh LOO-tee-uh)

Family: Melastomataceae Native Herbaceous

Yellow Meadowbeauty is a native perennial wildflower that has showy yellow blooms. It is found in the coastal and coastal plains from NC south to FL and west to TX. The showy yellow flowers bloom in spring and early summer. This plant requires consistently moist to wet habitats and could be grown in bog gardens or naturalized in wetlands. It may be difficult to find for sale. Habitat: Wet pine flatwoods and savannas, seepage slopes, and bogs

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 48 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Wildflower
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Linear; Oblong
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Up to 2" long 1/4" wide linear to oblong green leaves with hairs, slightly dentate margins and stemless. Deep center veins and pointed tips.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Cross
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
4 yellow petals almost rounded 1" across with straight stamens appear April-July. Other members of this family have curved stamens.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Upright urn-shaped fruit displays from June to September.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
4 sided main stem covered with bristles
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeastern and central U.S.A.
Distribution
Yellow Meadowbeauty
Attracts
Bees
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area; Pond
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Water Garden
Garden tags
#native perennial #NC native #native wildflower #yellow flowers #food source pollen #Coastal FACW #Piedmont Mountains FACW #bumblebee friendly #food source summer #Audubon #showy flowers #water garden #boggy sites #wetland
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Wet Soil
Particularly resistant to
Heat tolerant.

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.