Rhexia virginica

Rhexia virginica
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Melastomataceae
Genus:	Rhexia
Species:	R. virginica
Binomial name
Rhexia virginica L.

Rhexia virginica, the handsome Harry ^[2] or Virginia meadow-beauty, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is native to much of eastern North America, and is often found in moist, often acidic soils in open areas. ^[3]

Description

This species is a perennial herb that is easily identified by its distinctly angled stems. It produces purple-pink flowers in the summer that use buzz pollination for reproduction. ^[4]

The leaves of R. virginica are oppositely arranged, and may be elliptic or ovate in shape. They may reach a length of 7 centimeters (approximately 2.75 inches) and a width of 2.6 centimeters (approximately 1 inch). Stems may reach up to 9 decimeters (approximately 35 inches) in height. ^[5]

Distribution and habitat

R. virginica has been found in eastern US from Florida to Maine, and north to Ontario and Nova Scotia. ^{[6] [7]}

It has been observed in habitat types such as savannas, flatwoods, and wet ditches. ^[8]

Gallery

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  Seeds
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  Distribution map

References

1. Maiz-Tome, L. (2016). "Rhexia virginica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T64323209A67730662. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T64323209A67730662.en . Retrieved 29 July 2023.
2. NRCS. "Rhexia virginica". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 20 October 2015.
3. http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/meadow_beauty.htm Rhexia virginica at Illinois Wildflowers
4. The pollination ecology of buzz-pollinated Rhexia virginica (Melastomataceae) Am. J. Bot. April 1999 vol. 86 no. 4 502-511
5. Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. 1964, 1968. The University of North Carolina Press. 743. Print.
6. see chart shown.
7. Edwards, A. L. and A. S. Weakley 2001. "Population biology and management of rare plants in depression wetlands of the southeastern coastal plain, USA". Natural Areas Journal 21: 12-35.
8. Nelson, Gil. Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers: A Field Guide to the Wildflowers of the Coastal Regions of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Northeastern Florida. Guilford, CT: FalconGuide, 2006. 95. Print.