Any of various North American plants of the genus Phlox, having opposite leaves and flowers with a variously colored salverform corolla.
[Latin, a kind of flame-colored flower, from Greek, flame, wallflower.]
phlox
Dictionary:
phlox (flŏks)  |
n., pl., phlox, or phlox·es.
Any of various North American plants of the genus Phlox, having opposite leaves and flowers with a variously colored salverform corolla.
Any of various North American plants of the genus Phlox, having opposite leaves and flowers with a variously colored salverform corolla.
| 5min Related Video: phlox |
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: phlox |
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Moss pink (Phlox subulata) (credit: Russ Kinne/Photo Researchers)
Moss pink (Phlox subulata) (credit: Russ Kinne/Photo Researchers)
For more information on phlox, visit Britannica.com.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: phlox |
phlox, common name for plants of the genus Phlox and for members of the Polemoniaceae, a family of herbs (and some shrubs and vines) found chiefly in the W United States. The family includes many popular wild and garden flowers, especially the genera Phlox, Polemonium (called Jacob's ladder), and Gilia, a plant common in desert and mountain areas. Although most phloxes are perennial, the common garden phloxes are annual hybrids of the Texas species Phlox drummondii. The moss pink (Phlox subulata) is a creeping evergreen plant native to the E United States and often cultivated in rock gardens. A few species of phlox and polemonium are found in E Asia. The phlox family is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Polemoniales.
| Annuals Dictionary: Phlox |
Phlox family
Polemoniaceae
Flocks . About 60 species of usually hardy herbs found mostly in North America.
Description
Leaves lance-shaped, opposite and in pairs, or alternate. Flowers showy, in loose or closely packed terminal clusters, ranging from white to red, pale lilac, or purple, the corolla tube usually having an eyelike marking at the opening. Calyx of 5 sepals united halfway down. Corolla of 5 united petals forming a short, narrow tube. Stamens 5, usually enclosed in the corolla tube.
How to Grow
Easy to grow and long-flowering. Sow outdoors in very early spring or, in mild climates, late summer through fall. Where growing season is short, start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost and set out seedlings 2-3 weeks before danger of frost is past. Harden off before transplanting. Prefers well-drained soil, pH 6.5-7.0, and full sun. Heat-resistant in dry seasons. Does best with cool weather, but will bloom in spring in warm-weather areas.
Phlox Drummondii
Annual Phlox
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Drummond Phlox
;
Texan Pride
. To 18 in. (45 cm) high. Flowers ranging from white and yellow to lavender, blue, pink, and red, 1-1 in. (2.5-4.0 cm) wide, in umbel-like clusters. Tex. Cultivars include 'Twinkle', which has fancy starshaped, often 2-colored blossoms. Hardy annual.
| Word Tutor: phlox |
IN BRIEF: n. - Any polemoniaceous plant of a particular genus.
Tutor's tip: The "flock" (groups of certain animals) of sheep destroyed the "phlox" (a type of plant) in her garden. She didn't care because in winter her garden was in a state of "flux" (transforming movement) anyway.
| Wikipedia: Phlox |
For other uses, see Phlox (disambiguation).
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 Phlox douglasii
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About 65 species; see text |
Phlox (pronounced /flɒks/ or "flocks"; from the Latin for a flame-colored flower, which is from the Greek φλόξ, meaning 'flame'; plural "phlox" or "phloxes"; Greek φλόγες, phlóges) is a genus of 67 species of annual or perennial flowering plants. Some species flower in early spring while others flower in summer into fall. Most species are native to temperate North America but a few species are also from northeastern Asia. They are found growing in diverse habitats from alpine locations to open woodlands and prairies.
Phlox flowers range in color from pale blue to bright red to white. Some species such as Phlox glaberrima (Smooth Phlox) grow to 1.5 m tall, while others, such as Phlox stolonifera (Creeping Phlox), form low mats only a few centimetres in height.
The foliage of Phlox is sometimes eaten by 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. The flowers, when fertilized, typically produce one relatively large seed.
- Selected species
- Phlox adsurgens - Northern Phlox, Periwinkle phlox, Woodland phlox
- Phlox alyssifolia - Alyssumleaf phlox
- Phlox amplifolia - Largeleaf phlox
- Phlox andicola - Moss phlox, Plains phlox, Prairie phlox
- Phlox austromontana - Mountain phlox
- Phlox bifida - Cleft phlox
- Phlox borealis
- Phlox bryoides
- Phlox buckleyi - Swordleaf Phlox
- Phlox caespitosa - Cushion Phlox
- Phlox carolina - Carolina phlox, Thickleaf Phlox
- Phlox cuspidata - Pointed Phlox
- Phlox diffusa - Mat phlox, Spreading phlox
- Phlox divaricata -Blue woodland phlox, Louisiana phlox, Sweet william, Wild blue phlox
- Phlox douglasii
- Phlox drummondii - Drummond Phlox, Annual phlox, Phlox
- Phlox floridana - Florida Phlox
- Phlox glaberrima - Marsh phlox, Smooth Phlox
- Phlox glabriflora - Rio Grande phlox
- Phlox hirsuta - Yreka Phlox
- Phlox hoodii - Carpet Phlox, Spiny Phlox
- Phlox idahonis - Idaho Phlox
- Phlox kelseyi - Kelsey's Phlox
- Phlox latifolia - Mountain phlox, Wideflower phlox
- Phlox longifolia - Long-leaf phlox, Longleaf phlox
- Phlox maculata - Meadow Phlox, Phlox, Wild sweet William, Wild sweetwilliam
- Phlox mesoleuca - Threadleaf phlox
- Phlox missoulensis - Missoula Phlox
- Phlox mollis - Soft Phlox
- Phlox multiflora - Flowery Phlox, Rocky Mountain Phlox
- Phlox nana - Canyon phlox, Santa Fe Phlox, White-eyed phlox
- Phlox nivalis - Trailing Phlox
- Phlox ovata - Mountain Phlox
- Phlox paniculata - Fall phlox, Perennial phlox
- Phlox pilosa - Downy phlox, Fragrant phlox, Prairie Phlox
- Phlox pulchra - Alabama Phlox
- Phlox pulvinata - Cushion phlox
- Phlox roemeriana - Golden-eye Phlox, Goldeneye phlox
- Phlox sibirica - Siberian Phlox
- Phlox speciosa - Showy phlox, Woodhouse's phlox
- Phlox stansburyi - Cold-desert phlox
- Phlox stolonifera - Creeping Phlox
- Phlox subulata - Moss Phlox, Moss pink, Rock pink
- Phlox tenuifolia - Santa Catalina Mountain phlox
Cultivation
Several species of phlox are commonly cultivated in gardens. Most cultivated phlox, with the notable exception of Drummond phlox, are perennial. Phlox cultivars are available in shades of white, purple, blue, pink, and yellow. Most are best grown in well-drained soil, exposed to partial shade to partial sun. Phlox are valued in the garden for their ability to attract butterflies.
References
- Dole, Claire H. (2000). "Phlox: A Butterfly and Moth Magnet". http://butterflywebsite.com/articles/bgq/Phlox.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
- American Heritage Dictionary. 2000. http://www.bartleby.com/61/3/P0250300.html. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
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| Annuals Dictionary. Taylor's Guide for Annuals, by Norman Taylor, revised and edited by Gordon P. DeWolf, Jr. Copyright © 1986 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved. eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Phlox". Read more |
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