''Phlox'' (; Greek φλόξ "flame"; plural "phlox" or "phloxes", Greek φλόγες ''phlóges'') is a genus of 67 species of

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 ...

and annual plants in the family

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 ...

. They are found mostly in North America (one in

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

) in diverse habitats from

alpine tundra Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated alpine climate, harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alp ...

to open

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

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 An aroma compound, also known as an odorant, aroma, fragrance or flavoring, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor. For an individual chemical or class of chemical compounds to impart a smell or fragrance, it must be sufficiently vol ...

Description

The name is derived from the Greek word ''phlox'' meaning flame in reference to the intense flower colors of some varieties."Phlox paniculata", Missouri Botanical Garden
/ref> Fertilized flowers typically produce one relatively large

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

. The fruit is a longitudinally

dehiscent Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...

capsule with three or more valves that sometimes separate explosively. Some species such as '' P. paniculata'' (garden phlox) grow upright, while others such as '' P. subulata'' (moss phlox, moss pink, 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

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including dot moth, '' Gazoryctra wielgusi'', hummingbird hawk-moth and '' Schinia indiana'' (which feeds exclusively on ''P. pilosa''). Phlox species are also a popular food source for groundhogs,

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

s and

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

Species

The species in the genus include: *''Phlox aculeata'' A. Nelson *''Phlox acuminata'' Pursh *'' Phlox adsurgens'' Torr. ex A. Gray *''Phlox alaskensis'' Jordal *''Phlox albomarginata'' M.E. Jones *'' Phlox alyssifolia'' Greene *''Phlox amabilis'' Brand *'' Phlox amoena'' Sims *''Phlox amplifolia'' Britton *''Phlox andicola'' (Britton) E.E. Nelson *''

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- ...

'' Coville *''Phlox azurea'' Glad. L. Sm. *''

Phlox bifida ''Phlox bifida'', commonly known as cleft phlox or sand phlox, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Polemoniaceae (phlox) family that is native to the central United States. Description ''Phlox bifida'' is a mat-forming subshrub growing up to ...

'' L.C. Beck *''Phlox bryoides'' Nutt. *''

Phlox buckleyi ''Phlox buckleyi'', common name swordleaf phlox or shale-barren phlox, is a plant species native to Virginia and West Virginia. It grows in open woodlands, primarily on hillsides derived from shale. The first known specimen was first collected in ...

'' Wherry *'' Phlox caespitosa'' Nutt. *''Phlox canescens'' Torr. & A. Gray *''

Phlox carolina ''Phlox carolina'', the thickleaf phlox, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polemoniaceae. It is an herbaceous perennial growing to tall by wide, with leaves to long, and purple or pink flowers in summer. The specific epithet ''caro ...

'' L. *''Phlox caryophylla'' Wherry *''Phlox cluteana'' A. Nelson *''Phlox colubrina'' Wherry & Constance *''

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-fo ...

'' (A. Gray) E.E. Nelson *''Phlox covillei'' E.E. Nelson *''Phlox cuspidata'' Scheele *'' Phlox diffusa'' Benth. *''Phlox dispersa'' Sharsm. *'' Phlox divaricata'' L. *'' Phlox dolichantha'' A. Gray *'' Phlox douglasii'' Hook. *''

Phlox drummondii ''Phlox drummondii'' (commonly annual phlox or Drummond's phlox) is a flowering plant in the genus ''Phlox'' of the family (biology), family Polemoniaceae. native plant, Native to Texas, it is also widely distributed in the southeastern United St ...

'' Hook. *''Phlox floridana'' Benth. *''

Phlox glaberrima ''Phlox glaberrima'' (commonly called smooth phlox) is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family. It is native to the Midwestern and Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American South ...

'' L. *'' Phlox glabriflora'' Whiteh. *''Phlox gladiformis'' (M.E. Jones) E.E. Nelson *''Phlox glutinosa'' Buckley *''Phlox grahamii'' Wherry *''Phlox grayi'' Wooton & Standl. *''Phlox griseola'' Wherry *''Phlox hendersonii'' (E.E. Nelson) Cronquist *''Phlox hentzii'' Nutt. *'' Phlox hirsuta'' E.E. Nelson *''

Phlox hoodii ''Phlox hoodii'', the spiny phlox or carpet phlox, is a species of phlox. It is a plant of western North America, where it is a common flower in sagebrush country, mostly growing in dry lithosol habitats. It is among the first plants to bloom in ...

'' Richardson *''Phlox idahonis'' Wherry *''Phlox jonesii'' Wherry *''Phlox kelseyi'' Britton *''Phlox lanata'' Piper *''Phlox lighthipei'' Small *''Phlox linearifolia'' (Hook.) A. Gray *''Phlox longifolia'' Nutt. *''Phlox longipilosa'' Waterf. *''Phlox lutescens'' (S.L. Welsh) S.L. Welsh *''

Phlox maculata ''Phlox maculata'', common names wild sweetwilliam and meadow phlox, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polemoniaceae, native the eastern United States and introduced to eastern Canada. It is a perennial. Growing to , this erect, clum ...

'' L. *''Phlox mesoleuca'' Greene *''Phlox mollis'' Wherry *''Phlox multiflora'' A. Nelson *''Phlox muscoides'' Nutt. *''Phlox nana'' Nutt. *''

Phlox nivalis ''Phlox nivalis'' is a species of flowering plant in the Polemoniaceae family, it is commonly known as the trailing phlox, but other common names include Pineland phlox, Pine phlox, and sweet trailing. It is native to the southeastern states, along ...

'' Lodd. *''

Phlox oklahomensis ''Phlox oklahomensis'', the Oklahoma phlox, is a species of flowering plant in the family 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 ...

'' Wherry *''Phlox ovata'' L. *'' Phlox paniculata'' L. *''Phlox pattersonii'' Prather *''Phlox peckii'' Wherry *''

Phlox pilosa ''Phlox pilosa'', the downy phlox or prairie phlox, is an herbaceous plant in the family Polemoniaceae. It is native to eastern North America, where it is found in open areas such as prairies and woodlands. Description Downy phlox is a perenni ...

'' L. *''Phlox pulcherrima'' (Lundell) Lundell *''

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. ...

'' (Wherry) Cronquist *''Phlox pungens'' Dorn *''Phlox richardsonii'' Hook. *''Phlox roemeriana'' Scheele *''Phlox sibirica'' L. *'' Phlox speciosa'' Pursh *'' Phlox stansburyi'' (Torr.) A. Heller *''

Phlox stolonifera ''Phlox stolonifera'' (creeping phlox or moss phlox) is a species of flowering plant in the family Polemoniaceae. It is a perennial herbaceous plant that is native to the eastern United States. It occurs in woodlands and stream banks in the vicin ...

'' Sims *''

Phlox subulata ''Phlox subulata'' the creeping phlox, moss phlox, moss pink or mountain phlox, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polemoniaceae, native to eastern and central USA, and widely cultivated. The odor given off by the plants may be mista ...

'' L. *''Phlox suksdorfii'' (Brand) H. St. John *''Phlox superba'' Brand *''

Phlox tenuifolia ''Phlox tenuifolia'', the Santa Catalina Mountain phlox, is a white flowered plant in the phlox family (Polemoniaceae) that can be found with stems climbing through shrubs and other vegetation growing on rocky slopes of the Sonoran Desert The S ...

'' E.E. Nelson *''Phlox tenuis'' (A. Gray) E.E. Nelson *''Phlox texensis'' (Lundell) Lundell *''Phlox triovulata'' Thurb. ex Torr. *''Phlox tumulosa'' Wherry *''Phlox viridis'' E.E. Nelson *''Phlox viscida'' E.E. Nelson *''Phlox walteri'' (A. Gray) Chapm. *''Phlox woodhousei'' (A. Gray) E.E. Nelson

Cultivation

Several species and

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s of phlox are commonly grown in gardens. Most cultivated phlox, with the notable exception of ''

'', are perennial. Species from alpine habitats (and cultivars derived from them) require full sun and good drainage. Those from woodland habitats (such as '' Phlox divaricata'') require partial shade and soil rich in humus. Those from waterside habitats (such as ''P. paniculata'') require full sun and moisture at the roots.Prof. Craigmyle, M., ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials'', Salamander Books Ltd, 2002, p222 Phlox are valued in the garden for their ability to attract butterflies. Phlox can be propagated from stem cuttings.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Garden plants Polemoniaceae genera

Description

Species

Cultivation

References

Further reading

External links