Nesom et al. (2014) have recently indicated that this species should be segregated from O. macrantha and O. florida, but.it often appears intermediate and it is combined here with florida until more definitive review of colls. is conducted. Nesom et al. (2014) mapped colorea widely over most southeastern states, with disjunct records as far north as Ky. (BOYD), W.Va. and Va. They distinguished colorea from macrantha based on its smaller flowers, with fainter red lines on petal bases, more appressed hairs on pedicels and capusles, and less colonial habit. Compared to florida, colorea is reported (Nesom et al. 2014) to have flowers 9-15 mm long (versus 4-8 mm), with basal red lines strongly evident (versus faint to absent); it tends to have more spreading hairs on stems, 0.3-1.3 mm long (versus usually strigose with 0.2-0.6 mm hairs); its stem bases and rhizomes are "usually at least slightly lignescent and thickened, taproot often evident" (versus herbaceous, slender, without taproot). Mulcahy (1964) reported that colorea (as a subspecies of priceae) is tristylous and that priceae (sensu stricto) is distylous, but that "The 2 subspecies were fully interfertile". Unfortunately, Mulcahy has left no herbarium colls. from his research. His annotations of other peoples' material indicates that he combined colorea and florida, as distinguished by Nesom et al. (2014).