''Phlox bifida'', commonly known as cleft phlox or sand phlox, is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plant in the

Polemoniaceae The Polemoniaceae (Jacob's-ladder or phlox family) are a family of flowering plants consisting of about 25 genera with 270–400 species of annuals and perennials native to the Northern Hemisphere and South America, with the center of diversity ...

(phlox) family that is native to the central United States.

Description

''Phlox bifida'' is a mat-forming

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...

growing up to tall in patches of short stems. The stems occasionally branch and are covered with short hairs. Leaves along the stem are opposite, linear, and short, measuring about long. The flowers are pale purple and have 5 lobes, each with a V-shaped notch at the end.

Taxonomy

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.

Etymology

The genus name ''Phlox'' comes from the old Greek word for "flame," referencing flowers that were flame colored. The specific epithet ''bifada'' is Latin for "twice-cut", which describes the notched petals.

Distribution and habitat

''Phlox bifida'' is native to the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

the Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant portio ...

, and the

cedar glades A calcareous glade is a type of ecological community (ecology), community that is found in the central Eastern United States. Calcareous glade (geography), glades occur where bedrock such as limestone occurs near or at the surface, and have very ...

of Kentucky and Tennessee. The plant can be found in dry woods, on slopes, and on bluff ledges. It typically grows in dry, rocky soils.

Ecology

The flowers bloom in the early spring, and a variety of butterflies and moths feed on the nectar.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16948453 bifida