Rhexia lutea commonly known as the yellow meadow beauty, is found in the eastern part of North America (Ionta, Judd, Williams & Whitten, 2013: 1055) from Nova Scotia to Florida, the West Indies and parts of Texas (Ionta, Judd, Williams & Whitten, 2013: 1055). The habitat in which the Rhexia lutea is found along roadsides and in grass lands (Ionta, Judd, Williams & Whitten, 2013: 1055).
Rhexia lutea is a plant with hairy stems and short, fibrous roots (Nesom, 2012: 8).Flowers have cupped petals that curve inward during anthesis, when the flower is open and completely bloomed (Ionta, Judd, Williams & Whitten, 2013: 1061). The anthers are relatively short, 2 mm long (Ionta, Judd, Williams & Whitten, 2013: 1061). Rhexia lutea has yellow petals as compared to other Rhexia species. For example, R. parviflora, R. cubensis, and R. salicifolia, have purple, pink and white flowers (Ionta, Judd, Williams & Whitten, 2013: 1065).
Rhexia lutea is a supported sister to the section Brevianthera (Nesom, 2012: 5). They share the length of the anthers and the way the petals are curved like a bowl and completely open (Nesom, 2012: 8). This hybridization most likely was passed from Rhexia petiolata or Rhexia nuttallii, as the alleles of the species suggest (Nesom, 2012: 5).
