''Phlox'' (;

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

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 widel ...

and

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

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 diver ...

. 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 ...

) 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 harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...

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 Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

. 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."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 angiosper ...

. 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 A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...

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. ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

species including

dot moth The dot moth (''Melanchra persicariae'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. It is a very distinctive species with very dark brown, almost black, forewings marked with a large white stigma ...

, ''

Gazoryctra wielgusi ''Gazoryctra wielgusi'' is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is known from Arizona and New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity ...

'',

hummingbird hawk-moth The hummingbird hawk-moth (''Macroglossum stellatarum'') is a species of hawk moth found across temperate regions of Eurasia. The species is named for its similarity to hummingbirds, as they feed on the nectar of tube-shaped flowers using thei ...

and ''

Schinia indiana ''Schinia indiana'', or the phlox moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Mid-Western United States.

'' (which feeds exclusively on ''P. pilosa''). Phlox species are also a popular food source for

groundhog The groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through mu ...

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 sp ...

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 re ...

Species

The species in the genus include: *''Phlox aculeata'' A. Nelson *''Phlox acuminata'' Pursh *''

Phlox adsurgens ''Phlox adsurgens'', the northern phlox, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polemoniaceae. It is native to the US, in Oregon and a section of the northern Coast Ranges of California, where it belongs to the flora in forested and woode ...

'' Torr. ex A. Gray *''Phlox alaskensis'' Jordal *''Phlox albomarginata'' M.E. Jones *''

Phlox alyssifolia ''Phlox alyssifolia'', the alyssum-leaved phlox, is a flowering plant in the genus '' Phlox''. It is native to central North America. Range and habitat Alyssum-leaved phlox is native to the grasslands A grassland is an area where the veget ...

'' Greene *''Phlox amabilis'' Brand *''

Phlox amoena ''Phlox amoena'', commonly called hairy phlox, is a flowering plant in the phlox family. It 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 tha ...

'' Sims *''Phlox amplifolia'' Britton *''Phlox andicola'' (Britton) E.E. Nelson *'' Phlox austromontana'' 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'' Wherry *'' Phlox caespitosa'' Nutt. *''Phlox canescens'' Torr. & A. Gray *'' Phlox carolina'' 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 ''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 habitat, including ro ...

'' Benth. *''Phlox dispersa'' Sharsm. *''

Phlox divaricata ''Phlox divaricata'', the wild blue phlox, woodland phlox, or wild sweet william, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polemoniaceae, native to forests and fields in eastern North America. Etymology The species name ''divaricata'' mea ...

'' L. *'' Phlox dolichantha'' A. Gray *'' Phlox douglasii'' Hook. *'' Phlox drummondii'' Hook. *''Phlox floridana'' Benth. *'' Phlox glaberrima'' 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 ''Phlox hirsuta'', the Yreka phlox or hairy phlox,Ca ...

'' 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'' 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'' Wherry *''Phlox ovata'' L. *''

Phlox paniculata ''Phlox paniculata'' is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family (Polemoniaceae). It is native to parts of the eastern and central United States. It is extensively cultivated in temperate regions as an ornamental plant and has become es ...

'' 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 perennia ...

'' L. *''Phlox pulcherrima'' (Lundell) Lundell *'' Phlox pulvinata'' (Wherry) Cronquist *''Phlox pungens'' Dorn *''Phlox richardsonii'' Hook. *''Phlox roemeriana'' Scheele *''Phlox sibirica'' L. *''

Phlox speciosa ''Phlox speciosa'' is a species of phlox known by the common name showy phlox. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Arizona and New Mexico, where it occurs in sagebrush, pine woodlands, and mountain forests. It is an ...

'' Pursh *''

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 habi ...

'' (Torr.) A. Heller *'' Phlox stolonifera'' Sims *'' Phlox subulata'' L. *''Phlox suksdorfii'' (Brand) H. St. John *''Phlox superba'' Brand *'' Phlox tenuifolia'' 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 '' Phlox drummondii'', are perennial. Species from alpine habitats (and cultivars derived from them) require full sun and good drainage. Those from woodland habitats (such as ''

'') 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