View source for Phlox

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Phlox Paniculata.jpg
|image_caption = ''[[Phlox paniculata]]'' (garden phlox)
|taxon = Phlox
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]] (1753)
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = 68; see text
|subdivision_ref = <ref name="POWO_328376-2" >{{cite POWO |id=328376-2 |title=''Phlox'' L. |access-date=19 April 2024}}</ref>
|synonyms = 
*''Armeria'' {{small|L. ex Kuntze (1891), nom. illeg.}}
*''Fonna'' {{small|Adans. (1763)}}
*''Lychnidea'' {{small|Hill (1756), nom. superfl.}}
*''Phloxus'' {{small|St.-Lag. (1880), orth. var.}}
|synonyms_ref = <ref name = "POWO_328376-2" />
}}

'''''Phlox''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|l|ɒ|k|s}}; {{langx|grc|φλόξ}} "flame"; plural "phlox" or "phloxes", {{langx|grc|φλόγες}} {{Transliteration|grc|phlóges}}) is a genus of 68 species of [[perennial plant|perennial]] and [[annual plant|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 [[aroma compound|fragrant]].

==Description==
[[File:Phlox on a patio.jpg|thumb|left|Phlox on a patio]]

The name is derived from the Ancient Greek word {{Transliteration|grc|phlox}} meaning flame in reference to the intense flower colors of some varieties.<ref name=mbg>[http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=l610 "Phlox paniculata", Missouri Botanical Garden]</ref>  Fertilized flowers typically produce one relatively large [[seed]]. The fruit is a longitudinally [[Dehiscence (botany)|dehiscent]] [[Capsule (botany)|capsule]] with three or more [[Ovary (botany)#Parts of the ovary|valves]] that sometimes separate explosively.<ref>{{cite book |title=Flowering plants, Dicotyledons: Celastrales, Oxalidales, Rosales, Cornales, Ericales |author=Klaus Kubitzki |publisher=Springer |year=2004|page=311 |isbn=9783540065128 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O-tHGAaaf2cC&q=polemoniaceae+dehiscence&pg=PA311}}</ref>

Some species such as ''[[Phlox paniculata|P.&nbsp;paniculata]]'' (garden phlox) grow upright, while others such as ''[[Phlox subulata|P.&nbsp;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.<ref>[https://www.almanac.com/plant/phlox "Growing Phlox", ''The Farmer's Almanac'']</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/creeping-phlox "Creeping Phlox", ''Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia'']</ref>

The foliage of ''Phlox'' is a food for the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including [[dot moth]], ''[[Gazoryctra wielgusi]]'', [[Macroglossum stellatarum|hummingbird hawk-moth]] and ''[[Schinia indiana]]'' (which feeds exclusively on ''P.&nbsp;pilosa'').  Phlox species are also a popular food source for [[groundhog]]s, [[rabbit]]s and [[deer]].
{{Clear}}

==Species==
[[File:Phlox paniculata fruit and seeds.jpg|thumb|Fruit and seeds of ''P.&nbsp;paniculata'']]
[[File:Phlox triovulata.jpg|thumb|''Phlox triovulata'' (three-seed phlox), New Mexico, US]]
The species in the genus include:<ref name="POWO_328376-2"/>
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
*''[[Phlox aculeata]]'' {{small|A.Nelson}}
*''[[Phlox adsurgens]]'' {{small|Torr. ex A.Gray}}
*''[[Phlox albomarginata]]'' {{small|M.E.Jones}}
*''[[Phlox alyssifolia]]'' {{small|Greene}}
*''[[Phlox amabilis]]'' {{small|Brand}}
*''[[Phlox amoena]]'' {{small|Sims}}
*''[[Phlox amplifolia]]'' {{small|Britton}}
*''[[Phlox andicola]]'' {{small|(Britton) E.E.Nelson}}
*''[[Phlox austromontana]]'' {{small|Coville}}
*''[[Phlox bifida]]'' {{small|L.C.Beck}}
*''[[Phlox buckleyi]]'' {{small|Wherry}}
*''[[Phlox caespitosa]]'' {{small|Nutt.}}
*''[[Phlox carolina]]'' {{small|L.}}
*''[[Phlox caryophylla]]'' {{small|Wherry}}
*''[[Phlox cluteana]]'' {{small|A.Nelson}}
*''[[Phlox colubrina]]'' {{small|Wherry & Constance}}
*''[[Phlox condensata]]'' {{small|(A.Gray) E.E.Nelson}}
*''[[Phlox cuspidata]]'' {{small|Scheele}}
*''[[Phlox diffusa]]'' {{small|Benth.}}
*''[[Phlox dispersa]]'' {{small|Sharsm.}}
*''[[Phlox divaricata]]'' {{small|L.}}
*''[[Phlox dolichantha]]'' {{small|A.Gray}}
*''[[Phlox douglasii]]'' {{small|Hook.}}
*''[[Phlox drummondii]]'' {{small|Hook.}}
*''[[Phlox floridana]]'' {{small|Benth.}}
*''[[Phlox glaberrima]]'' {{small|L.}}
*''[[Phlox glabriflora]]'' {{small|(Brand) Whitehouse}}
*''[[Phlox gladiformis]]'' {{small|(M.E.Jones) E.E.Nelson}}
*''[[Phlox × glutinosa]]'' {{small|Buckley}}
*''[[Phlox griseola]]'' {{small|Wherry}}
*''[[Phlox hendersonii]]'' {{small|(E.E.Nelson) Cronquist}}
*''[[Phlox hirsuta]]'' {{small|E.E.Nelson}}
*''[[Phlox hoodii]]'' {{small|Richardson}}
*''[[Phlox idahonis]]'' {{small|Wherry}}
*''[[Phlox kelseyi]]'' {{small|Britton}}
*''[[Phlox longifolia]]'' {{small|Nutt.}}
*''[[Phlox maculata]]'' {{small|L.}}
*''[[Phlox mesoleuca]]'' {{small|Greene}}
*''[[Phlox mexicana]]'' {{small|Wherry}}
*''[[Phlox missoulensis]]'' {{small|Wherry}}
*''[[Phlox mollis]]'' {{small|Wherry}}
*''[[Phlox multiflora]]'' {{small|A.Nelson}}
*''[[Phlox nana]]'' {{small|Nutt.}}
*''[[Phlox nivalis]]'' {{small|G.Lodd. ex Sweet}}
*''[[Phlox oklahomensis]]'' {{small|Wherry}}
*''[[Phlox opalensis]]'' {{small|Dorn}}
*''[[Phlox ovata]]'' {{small|L.}}
*''[[Phlox paniculata]]'' {{small|L.}}
*''[[Phlox pattersonii]]'' {{small|Prather}}
*''[[Phlox peckii]]'' {{small|Wherry}}
*''[[Phlox pilosa]]'' {{small|L.}}
*''[[Phlox pulchra]]'' {{small|(Wherry) Wherry}}
*''[[Phlox pulvinata]]'' {{small|(Wherry) Cronquist}}
*''[[Phlox pungens]]'' {{small|Dorn}}
*''[[Phlox × pyramidalis]]'' {{small|Sm.}}
*''[[Phlox richardsonii]]'' {{small|Hook.}}
*''[[Phlox rigida]]'' {{small|Benth.}}
*''[[Phlox roemeriana]]'' {{small|Scheele}}
*''[[Phlox sibirica]]'' {{small|L.}}
*''[[Phlox solivaga]]'' {{small|Mayfield & Darrach}}
*''[[Phlox speciosa]]'' {{small|Pursh}}
*''[[Phlox stolonifera]]'' {{small|Sims}}
*''[[Phlox subulata]]'' {{small|L.}}
*''[[Phlox tenuifolia]]'' {{small|E.E.Nelson}}
*''[[Phlox triovulata]]'' {{small|Thurb. ex Torr.}}
*''[[Phlox variabilis]]'' {{small|Brand}}
*''[[Phlox vermejoensis]]'' {{small|B.S.Legler}}
*''[[Phlox viridis]]'' {{small|E.E.Nelson}}
*''[[Phlox viscida]]'' {{small|E.E.Nelson}}
*''[[Phlox woodhousei]]'' {{small|(A.Gray) E.E.Nelson}}
{{Div col end}}

==Cultivation==
[[File:Phlox divaricata 1.jpg|thumb|Clump of woodland phlox (''P.&nbsp;divaricata'')]]

Several species and [[cultivar]]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 ''[[Phlox divaricata]]'') require partial shade and soil rich in humus. Those from waterside habitats (such as ''P.&nbsp;paniculata'') require full sun and moisture at the roots.<ref>Prof. Craigmyle, M., ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials'', Salamander Books Ltd, 2002, p222 {{ISBN|1 901683 78 8}}</ref> Phlox are valued in the garden for their ability to attract butterflies. Phlox are [[plant propagation|propagated]] from [[cutting (plant)|stem cuttings]], clump division, and seeds.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Toogood |first=Alan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WhfEDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA206 |title=Propagating Plants: How to Create New Plants for Free |date=2019-05-07 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-4654-9898-4 |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=phdi5 Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas, Austin]
*[http://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile?symbol=phlox Natural Resources Conservation Service USDA]

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{cite web |last=Dole |first=Claire H. |title=Phlox: A Butterfly and Moth Magnet |year=2000 |url=http://butterflywebsite.com/articles/bgq/Phlox.htm |access-date=2007-05-08 }}
*{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Phlox|volume=21|page=447}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q652016}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Phlox| ]]
[[Category:Garden plants]]
[[Category:Polemoniaceae genera]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]