meadow beauty

meadow beauty, any plant of the genus Rhexia, herbaceous perennials of wet places E of the Rockies, particularly damp pine barrens and sands along the southeast coast. A widespread species, R. virginica, is a common component of cranberry-bog vegetation. Meadow beauties (also called deer grass) are sometimes cultivated, often in bog gardens. They are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Myrtales, family Melastomataceae.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.