Flower profile
Savannah meadowbeauty
Rhexia alifanus
Savannah meadowbeauty (Rhexia alifanus) is a flowering plant in the Melastomataceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–July across the U.S.
Savannah meadowbeauty is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Mississippi it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Mississippi
Quick look
Rhexia alifanus, commonly referred to as savannah meadowbeauty, is a flowering plant in the Rhexia genus. A perennial, it has pink blossoms. It is indigenous to areas of the southeastern United States west to Texas.
- It belongs to the Melastomataceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 8 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Mississippi. NatureServe
- In Mississippi, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 502 research-grade sightings of it in Mississippi, ranking #34 among the 154 flowers on our Mississippi list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Mississippi, most flowering sightings come in May–July.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Mississippi
- No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: TX (SH). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records savannah meadowbeauty in 8 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas.
Mississippi counties with USDA records: Covington, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jones, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Stone, Wayne.
Names, range and relatives
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Rhexia glabella.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 142 counties across 7 states; the most are in North Carolina (30), Florida (28), Georgia (23).
Other Rhexia on Bloomipedia (2): Maryland meadowbeauty, Virginia meadowbeauty.
More from the Melastomataceae family (6 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Koster's curse, Pinkfringe, Spanish shawl, Glory bush.
More Mississippi flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RHAL4.
- iNaturalist, Rhexia alifanus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Rhexia alifanus (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Rhexia alifanus (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
- Photo: Samuel A Schmid, PhD, PWS via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.