According to Wikipedia, phlox is a genus of 67 species of perennial and annual plants in the family Polemoniaceae. They are found mostly in North America — one in Siberia — in diverse habitats from alpine tundra to open woodland and prairie. Some flower in spring, others in summer and fall. Flowers may be pale blue, violet, pink, bright red or white. Many are fragrant.
Description
The name is derived from the Greek word “phlox” meaning “flame” in reference to the intense flower colors of some varieties. Fertilized flowers typically produce one relatively large seed. The fruit is a longitudinally dehiscent capsule with three or more valves that sometimes separate explosively.
Some species such as P. paniculata or garden phlox grow upright, while others such as P. subulata or moss phlox, moss pink and mountain phlox grow short and matlike. Paniculata or tall phlox is a native American wildflower that is native from New York to Iowa south to Georgia, Mississippi and Arkansas. It blooms from July to September.
Creeping phlox spreads rapidly and makes great ground cover. It can be planted to cover banks, fill spaces under tall trees and spill and trail over slopes. Creeping phlox blooms in spring and produces long, spreading stems, which become woody with age. It was introduced into cultivation by the late 1700s.
The foliage of phlox is a food for the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including dot moth, Gazoryctra wielgusi, hummingbird hawk-moth and Shinia Indiana which feeds exclusively on P. pilosa. Phlox species are also a popular food source for groundhogs, rabbits and deer.
Some species
Alyssum-leaved phlox or phlox alyssifolia Alyssum-leaved phlox is native to the grasslands of Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. Its range also extends into the prairie provinces of Canada. Its preferred habitat is dry grassland. Alyssum-leaved phlox grows many tough, tufted branches that only reach 2 to 4 inches in height. The flowers are borne on the branch tips in May. The five-petaled flowers are white, sometimes tinted pale pink or purple.
Hairy phlox or phlox aomena Phlox amoena, commonly called hairy phlox, is native to the southeastern United States where it is found in sandhills, dry woodlands and open areas with native vegetation. It is a perennial that produces purple-pink flowers in the spring. It is distinguished from the similar-looking Phlox pilosa by its more compact and non-glandular flowers.
Mountain phlox or phlox austromontana Phlox austromontana is a species of phlox known by the common name mountain phlox. It is native to the southwestern United States and Baja California, where it grows in forested and wooded mountain habitat, scrub and open areas. It is a mat-forming perennial herb growing in patches of very short stems. The lance-shaped leaves are no more than 1.5 centimeters long and are arranged oppositely in pairs on the short stems. The inflorescence is a solitary flower at the tip of each stem. The flower is white, light pink or lavender with five rounded lobes. It is just over a centimeter long.
Cleft phlox, sand phlox or phlox bifida Phlox bifida, cleft phlox or sand phlox is native to the Midwestern United States, the Ozarks and the cedar glades of Kentucky and Tennessee. It is found on rock outcrops, limestone glades and in generally dry or sandy areas. It is a mat-forming subshrub growing in patches of short stems. It flowers in the spring. Two subspecies of Phlox bifida are distinguished based on hair and flower characters. These are:
- Phlox bifida ssp. bifida - Native to sandy regions of the Midwest.
- Phlox bifida ssp. stellaria - Native to limestone glades and cliffs of Kentucky and Tennessee.
Tufted phlox or phlox caespitosa Phlox caespitosa is a species of phlox known by the common name tufted phlox. It is native to western North America from British Columbia through the Great Basin to New Mexico, where it grows in scrub, woodland and other open plateau habitat. It is one of several cushion-forming species that occur in the same region and require careful observation to distinguish. In the past, this species and Phlox douglasii have been erroneously lumped together. It is a mat-forming perennial herb growing in patches of short, hairy, glandular stems. The stems are lined with pairs of very narrow, sharp-tipped linear leaves each under a centimeter in length. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or cluster of up to three flowers at the tip of each stem. The flower is white, light pink or lavender with five rounded lobes. It is around a centimeter long.
Thickleaf phlox or phlox carolina Phlox carolina, the thickleaf phlox, is an herbaceous perennial growing to 4 feet tall by 18 inches wide, with leaves to 5 inches long, and purple or pink flowers in summer. The specific epithet carolina refers to its native habitat in the eastern United States. It is the parent of numerous garden cultivars, of which 'Bill Baker' (pink) and 'Miss Lingard' (pure white) have gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
Dwarf phlox or phlox condensata Phlox condensata is a species of phlox known by the common name dwarf phlox. It is native to the western United States including eastern California, Nevada and Colorado, where it grows in rocky, mountainous areas. It is a very compact mat-forming perennial herb growing in patches often less than a centimeter tall. The toothlike lance-shaped leaves are no more than half a centimeter long and are lined with stiff hairs. The inflorescence is a solitary tubular flower up to a centimeter long with a flat white or pale pink corolla — all the petals of the flower.
Spreading phlox or phlox diffusa Phlox diffusa is a species of phlox known by the common name spreading phlox. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to the southwestern United States to the Dakotas, where it grows in many types of habitats, including rocky, high elevation mountain slopes. It is a very compact mat-forming perennial herb growing in cushions or patches of short, decumbent stems ground no more than 8 inches tall, and its stem is usually prostrate or decumbent to erect. The linear, lance-shaped or needle-like leaves are no more than 1.5 centimeters long and are oppositely arranged in bundles on the short stems. The inflorescence is a solitary tubular flower around a centimeter long. It has a flat white, pale pink or blue corolla with five lobes each just under a centimeter in length. Flowers are quite showy and range from lavender to pink in color. Phlox diffusa prefers dry hillsides such as areas like rocky slopes and terrains such as alpine or sub-alpine or pumice fields. Phlox diffusa is widely distributed throughout the western United States going as far east as Nebraska. It spreads northerly to British Columbia in Canada with its southern limits being Southern California. Specific areas in United States are north Nevada and Idaho, along with small areas of Montana and South Dakota, along with Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming mountains. Based on a study, the flower morphology of Phlox diffusa such as flora color and insect visitors dominated the methods they are pollinated. The study showed that due to early blooming of Phlox diffusa, butterflies and bumblebees visited the flowers less frequently than expected but still are considered major pollinators. Two minor pollinators for Phlox diffusa are Muscoid flies and Syrphid flies which both visited significantly less. Evidence from this study points to Phlox diffusa being an important nectar source for early season queen bumblebees. Phlox diffusa is a perennial plant which blossoms early May through mid-August which then goes dormant in November until the next spring.
Wild blue phlox, woodland phlox, wild sweet william or phlox divaricate Phlox divaricata, the wild blue phlox, woodland phlox or wild sweet william, is native to forests and fields in eastern North America. The species name divaricata means "with a spreading and straggling habit." Wild blue phlox is a semi-evergreen perennial growing 10–20 inches tall with opposite, unstalked, hairy leaves 1–2 inches in length and ovate-lanceolate in shape. Flowers appear in late spring and early summer. They are pleasantly fragrant and 3/4–1 1/2 inches in diameter, with five petals fused at the base into a thin tube. The petals are a variety of pastel colors: blue-lavender, light purple, pink, or white. There are two subspecies: ssp. divaricata, with petals notched at the tip, and ssp. laphamii, without a notch. The flowers produce nectar at the base of the long, narrow corolla tube, and pollen near the end of the corolla tube. Only butterflies, moths, skippers and long-tongued bees have long enough tongues to drink the nectar. Short-tongued bees and flower flies are unable to reach the nectar, but may gather or feed on pollen. Phlox is self-incompatible, so it requires cros-pollination to produce seed. Butterflies are the most effective pollinators. As they insert their proboscis into the flower to drink nectar, it contacts the anthers and picks up pollen. As they coil the proboscis before moving to the next flower, most of the pollen falls off, but some remains to be transferred to the stigma of the next flower that they drink nectar from.
Yreka phlox, hairy phlox or phlox hirsute Phlox hirsuta, the Yreka phlox or hairy phlox is a small flowering plant that grows in the serpentine soils of Siskiyou County, California and is the official city flower of Yreka, California, after which it is named. Yreka phlox plants grow to a height of up to six inches, with thick hairy stems at the base; the specific epithet hirsuta means hairy. In April through June they become covered by small pink or purple flowers. Yreka phlox often grows near another more common species of phlox, Phlox speciosa, which it resembles, but the latter species has deep notches in its flower petals that are not present in Yreka phlox. Additionally, unlike Yreka phlox, Phlox speciosa is capable of growing on non-serpentine soils. Some biologists have classified Yreka phlox as a variant of Phlox stansburyi, but its status as a separate species is now recognized by most biologists as well as by the CalFlora and U.S. Department of Agriculture plants databases.
The first recorded specimen of Yreka phlox was discovered by Edward Lee Greene in 1876. He was the priest at St. Laurence's Episcopal Church in Yreka — since renamed as St. Mark's — from 1876 to 1877, when he made the discovery; he later became the first botanist at the University of California, Berkeley. The discovery was recorded in 1899 by Elias Nelson, who described its location as "rocky hilltops near Yreka, Siskiyou County, California." In 2009, Yreka phlox was named as the official city flower of Yreka.
Because Yreka phlox is only known to grow in a few locations near Yreka, it is endangered by land use plans that threaten those locations, as well as by other factors stemming from the increased urbanization of the Yreka area, such as off-road vehicle use and the encroachment of non-native species. In 1975, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution included phlox hirsuta on a list of endangered plants. It was listed as an endangered species by the state of California in 1986, and by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2000. A recovery plan was drafted by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 2006, and was dedicated to the memory of Larry G. Bacon, the city attorney of Yreka from 1970 to 2002, who had been a leader of local efforts to protect the species.
Downy phlox, prairie phlox or phlox pilosa Phlox pilosa, the downy phlox or prairie phlox is native to eastern North America, where it is found in open areas such as prairies and woodlands. Downy phlox is a perennial that grows 6–24 inches high. The stems are upright and sometimes branched near the top. Leaves, stems and sepals are covered with hairs and the plant is sticky to the touch. Leaves are long and narrow and have pointed tips; they can be up to 3 inches long and 1/8 to 1/2 inch wide. The flowers grow in rounded clusters up to 3 inches at the top of stems. The stems have opposite leaves. Each flower has five lobes or petals that are pale pink, lavender or purple, and is 1/2 to 3/4 inch across. The flowers produce pollen on anthers near the end of the corolla tube, and nectar at the bottom of the corolla. Only butterflies, moths, skippers and very long-tongued bees — the largest bumblebees — have long enough tongues to reach the nectar. Shorter-tongued bees and flower flies visit to feed on or gather pollen. It is a larval host to the phlox moth or Schinia Indiana. The flowers are self-incompatible. Unless they are cross-pollinated, they will not produce any seed. Butterflies, skippers and moths are the most effective pollinators. As they insert their proboscis into the corolla tube, it touches the anthers and picks up pollen. When they roll up their proboscis and move to the next flower, some pollen remains and is transferred to the stigma as they insert their proboscis into the next flower.
Cushion phlox or phlox pulvinata Phlox pulvinata is a species of phlox known by the common name cushion phlox. It is native to the western United States where it grows in mountain and plateau habitat, in rocky subalpine and alpine climates, including exposed tundra habitat. It is a perennial herb taking a flat, dense, cushionlike form on the ground. Its very short stems are lined with hair-fringed lance-shaped leaves, each no more than one centimeter or 2/5 inch long. The plant is among the first to flower in the spring in many areas. It blooms densely, forming carpets of flowers. Each white to pale pink flower has a tubular throat up to one centimeter or 2/5 inch long and a flat five-lobed corolla.
Cold-desert phlox, pink phlox or phlox stansburyi
Phlox stansburyi is a species of phlox known by the common names cold-desert phlox and pink phlox. It is native to the southwestern United States from California to Utah to Texas, where it occurs in desert and plateau scrub and woodland habitat.
It is a perennial herb taking an upright, branching form. The hairy linear or lance-shaped leaves are 0.39 to 1.18 inches in length and oppositely arranged. The inflorescence bears one or more white to pink flowers with narrow, tubular throats which may exceed 1.2 inches in length. The base of the tube is encased in a calyx of keeled, ribbed sepals. The flower corolla is flat and five-lobed. In drier environments, the corolla-lobes may be narrower and curled, and the plant may be shorter or grow up through other shrubs.
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