[1][2][3] Unlike other members of the same family showing pantropical distribution, Rhexia is mainly distributed in temperate region of southeastern part of North America; from Nova Scotia to Florida and the West Indies (Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico) and west to eastern Texas.

[4] The species of Rhexia are frequently found in wet meadows, coastal plain marshes, sandy wetlands and lake edges, pine woods, and road-side swales.

Opposite leaves are simple, ovate to lanceolate and have the typical acrodromous venation (prominent arcuate nerves) characteristic of the Melastomataceae.

Flowers are actinomorphic (radially symmetrical), 2–3 cm in diameter, pink-purple to white, (yellow in R. lutea), petals 4, sepals 4, stamens 8.

Eight members of series B show 4–11 mm long descending, curved anthers (R. alifanus, R. mariana, R. virginica, R. salicifolia, R. cubensis, R. aristosa, R. parviflora and R.

RHEXIA (R. aristosa, R. salicifolia, R. virginica, R. interior, R. ventricosa, R. mariana, R. cubensis, R. nashii, R. parviflora; (2) Sect.

Remaining species showed incongruence between nuclear ribosomal DNA tree and chloroplast DNA tree (R. lutea, R. nashii, R. salicifolia) and/or multiple alleles of ncpGS (R. cubensis, R. lutea, R. nashii, R. parviflora, and R. salicifolia) implying putative hybrid origin of these species.