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For other uses, see Phlox (disambiguation).
Phlox Paniculata.jpg
Phlox paniculata (Garden Phlox)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Polemoniaceae
Genus: Phlox

See text

Phlox (/ˈflɒks/; Greek φλόξ "flame"; plural "phlox" or "phloxes", Greek φλόγες phlóges) is a genus of 67 species of perennial and 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 fragrant.

Fertilized flowers typically produce one relatively large seed. The fruit is a longitudinally dehiscent capsule with three or more valves that sometimes separate explosively.[1]

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.

The foliage of Phlox is a food for the larvae of some Lepidoptera 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, rabbits and deer.


Fruit and seeds of P. paniculata
Clump of woodland phlox (P. divaricata)
Growing at a nursery in Cranford, New Jersey.

There are 68 species, including:


Variegated form of P. paniculata

Several species and cultivars 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 P. 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.[2] Phlox are valued in the garden for their ability to attract butterflies. Phlox can be propagated from stem cuttings.


  1. ^ Klaus Kubitzki (2004). Flowering plants, Dicotyledons: Celastrales, Oxalidales, Rosales, Cornales, Ericales. Springer. p. 311. 
  2. ^ Prof. Craigmyle, M., The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials, Salamander Books Ltd, 2002, p222 ISBN 1 901683 78 8

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