Phlox divaricata ssp. laphamii

Native

Moist soils. Rich, moist, deciduous woods; fields.

April to June

Pale blue-purple to red-purple or white

9″ to 18″

This is a 9″ to 18″ tall, erect, perennial forb that rises on fertile and nonfertile shoots from a taproot and above-ground stolons.

Nonfertile stems recline on the ground with their tips ascending (decumbent). Fertile stems are erect, leafy, unbranched except near the inflorescence, green to reddish brown. Both types of stems are covered with long, fine, soft, white hairs. Nonfertile stems are shorter and less hairy than fertile stems.

The leaves are opposite, stalkless, and 1″ to 2¼″ long, ⅜″ to 1″ wide. Leaves on nonfertile stems are narrowly egg-shaped to lance-shaped. They taper to a blunt or rounded tip. Leaves on fertile stems are lance-shaped and taper to a pointed tip but rarely to a sharp pointed tip. The margins of all of the leaves are untoothed. The lower leaves are almost hairless. The upper leaves are hairy.

The inflorescence is a loosely branched cluster of 9 to 30 flowers at the end of the flowering stem. It is covered with fine, glandular hairs.

The flowers are ¾″ to 1″ wide and fragrant. They have 5 pale blue-purple to red-purple or sometimes white petals. The petals unite at the base forming a long, thin corolla tube, then separate into 5 long, widely spreading lobes. The petal lobes are inversely egg-shaped. They abruptly narrow before the throat becoming much narrower toward the flower center than at their tips. The tips are rounded and may be slightly indented or slightly pointed but are not notched. The stamens are not visible at the opening of the corolla tube.

The fruit is a 3-chambered, egg-shaped capsule with usually 1, rarely 2, seeds per chamber.

Downy phlox (Phlox pilosa ssp. fulgida), has much narrower leaves that narrow to a sharp, hardened tip. The petal lobes taper gradually to the throat. The stamens are visible at the opening of the corolla tube.

Wild sweet William (Phlox maculata) has an unbranched, cylinder-shaped inflorescence. The stamens are visible at the opening of the corolla tube.

Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) is a tall, cultivated plant that can get to six feet tall. The stamens are visible at the opening of the corolla tube.

Moss phlox (Phlox subulata ssp. subulata) is a prostrate ground cover with whorled, linear to awl-shaped leaves. The flower petals are notched at the tip. It is found in rocky areas and sandy or gravelly soil.

Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis) is much taller, has alternate, toothed leaves, and has flowers with four petals.

There are five species of Phlox found in Minnesota, all of them native. Wild blue phlox is by far the most common.