The yellow meadow beauty, usually about 18 inches tall, has many branches and flower stems growing out of the leaf axils of the 4-sided main stem. Leaves are opposite, 1 inch long and 1/4 inch wide, and attached directly to the stem. They are slightly toothed, have a deep center vein, and are pointed at the tip. The yellow flowers, 1 inch across, grow out of the leaf axils on short stems which usually have one or more pairs of leaves. The 4 petals are almost round. The stamens are straight, lacking the curve of other species in this family. (Florida Wild Flowers and Roadside Plants, 1982).