Download Phlox paniculata

GARDEN PHLOX
Many wildflower enthusiasts are familiar with our spring wildflower, the Wild Blue Phlox
(Phlox divaricata L.). However, there are other native Phlox species in this area and some of
them bloom at other times of the year. One of them is the Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata L.),
which is the 2nd most common native Phlox species. Both species were first discovered in
Virginia in the late 17th Century.
Garden Phlox is a member of the Order Ericales or Solonales and of the Family
Polemoniaceae. The generic name, Phlox, is Greek for “fire” or “flame” because of the flower’s
color. It is also the Greek name of a plant with flame-colored petals. The specific epithet,
paniculata, is Latin for “of panicles”, referring to its panicled cluster.
Another scientific synonym for this plant is Phlox decussata (Pursh). Other common names
for this species are Fall Phlox, Flame Flower, John Fanick Perennial, Perennial Phlox, Summer
Phlox, Tall Garden Phlox, and Tall Phlox.
DESCRIPTION OF THE GARDEN PHLOX
Perennial
Height: Its height is 2-6 feet.
Stem: Its stem is smooth, stout, and erect.
Leaves: Its leaves are simple and opposite. There are about 15-40 leaf pairs spaced apart upon
the stem. Each leaf is either sessile or short-petioled and does not clasp the stem. It is lanceolate,
oblong, elliptic, or ovate; about 2-7 inches long; and about 1-2 inches wide. Its lateral leaf veins
are prominent. Its margin is minutely bristly and entire. Its tip and base are narrow and is widest
in the middle.
Flowers: Its flowers are arranged in a large, dense, terminal, pyramidal, cymed or panicled
cluster. Each flower is radially symmetrical, about ½-1 inch wide, about 1 inch long, and has a
short stalk. It is white, pink, red-purple, or lavender. Its corolla of 5 united petals is trumpetshaped with 5 broad, spreading, overlapping lobes and a hairy tube. Its calyx is smooth and
tubular with 5 united sepals. It has 5 short, cream white stamens attached to the flower tube at
different levels and 1 short pistil with 3 linear stigmas and a single 3-branched style. The style
reaches beyond the middle of the tube. 1or 2 stamens may extend beyond the tube. All flowering
parts are attached at the bottom of the ovary. These flowers are fragrant and attract Butterflies
and Moths (Order Lepidoptera), Bumblebees (Genus Bombus), and Ruby-throated
Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris L.). Flowering season is usually July to October, but some
can even flower as late as early winter.
Fruit: Its fruit is a dry, longitudinal, 3-chambered or valved capsule. It breaks open into 3 or
more parts.
Roots: Its root system is shallow and fibrous. Its short, thick rhizome with its irregularly spaced
nodes sprouts many new plants.
Habitat: Its habitats consist of open moist woods, thickets, gravel bars, streambanks, and
woods’ edges.
Range: Its range covers most of the eastern U.S., except Florida, and southeastern Canada. It
extends as far west as the Great Plains.
Uses of the Garden Phlox:
The Garden Phlox has medicinal uses. Its leaf extract is used internally as a purgative or used
externally for treating boils, eczema, and other skin ailments. The leaves were also made into a
tea for upset stomachs and to purify blood. The roots were used as eyewash for sore eyes.
Garden Phloxes are used as a highly adaptable cultivated ornamental plant. Many horticultural
varieties with different colors have been developed from it. Garden Phlox can also hybridize
with other Phlox species, such as the Wild Blue Phlox. Many of these plants have escaped
cultivation and have expanded their range.
REFERENCES
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION FIELD GUIDE TO WILDFLOWERS OF NORTH AMERICA
By David M. Brandenburg
WILDFLOWERS IN THE FIELD AND FOREST
By Steven Clemants and Carol Gracie
COMMON FLOWERING PLANTS OF THE NORTHEAST
By Donald D. Cox
MISSOURI WILDFLOWERS
By Edgar Denison
WILDFLOWERS OF OHIO
By Robert L. Henn
WILDFLOWERS AND FERNS OF INDIANA FORESTS
By Michael A. Homoya
ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
By Don Kurz
PHLOX: A NATURAL HISTORY AND GARDENER’S GUIDE
By James H. Locklear
WILDFLOWER FOLKLORE
By Laura C. Martin
NEWCOMB’S WILDFLOWER GUIDE
By Lawrence Newcomb and Gordon Morrison
WILDFLOWERS
By Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN WILDFLOWERS (EASTERN
REGION)
By John W. Thieret, William A. Niering, and Nancy C. Olmstead
LIFE AND LORE OF ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
By William E. Werner, Jr.