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Phlox

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Phlox

Phlox
Genus:Phlox
Family:Polemoniaceae
Pollination:Insects

Phlox (pronounced "flocks") 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.

Description

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Phlox range in color from pale blue to bright red to white, though cultivars have been bred for purple and deep blue. 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 centimeters in height. Seeds are in a 3-celled, valved capsule, with one seed to each cell.

The flowers are 5-lobed, with a tube below the lobes. The flower buds open by untwisting.

Growing conditions

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Phlox is best grown in fertile, well-drained soil, exposed to partial shade to partial sun.

Species

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Moss phlox
 
Phlox flowers

Uses

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Phloxes are grown for their showy, often fragrant flowers in borders and cutting gardens. They attract both butterflies and hummingbirds.

Maintenance

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Deadheading and staking are often needed for taller species.

Propagation

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Division, cuttings, or seed.

Pests and diseases

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Crown Gall

Powdery Mildew

Leaf Spots

  • Ascochyta phlogis var. pholgina
  • Cercospora omphakodes
  • Cercospora phlogina
  • Macrophoma cylindrospora
  • Phyllosticta sp.
  • Ramularia sp.
  • Septoria divaricata
  • Stemphylium botryosum

Blights

Crown Rots

Wilts

Rusts

  • Puccinia douglassii
  • Uromyces acuminates var. polemonii

Viri

  • Mosaic

Phytoplasma

Nematodes

Aphids Scales

Hoppers

Bugs

Beetles

Weevils

Caterpillars

Mites

The foliage of Phlox is sometimes eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Dot Moth, Gazoryctra wielgusi, w: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.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Phlox

  • Ann Fowler Rhoads and Timothy A. Block (2000). The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual. Anna Anisko, illustrator. Morris Arboretum, University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 538–539. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • P. D. Strausbaugh and Earl L. Core (1977). Flora of West Virginia (Second ed.). Seneca Books, Grantsville, W. Virginia. pp. 768–772. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Christopher Brickell and Judith D. Zuk (1997). The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. DK Publishing. pp. 785–787. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Staff of the L. H. Bailey Hortorium (1976). Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press. pp. 681–682. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Pirone, Pascal P. (1978). Diseases & Pests of Ornamental Plants (Fifth Edition ed.). John Wiley & Sons, New York. pp. 401–403. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Cranshaw, Whitney (2004). Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs. Princeton University Press. p. 611. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Pippa Greenwood, Andrew Halstead, A.R. Chase, Daniel Gilrein (2000). American Horticultural Society Pests & Diseases: The Complete Guide to Preventing, Identifying, and Treating Plant Problems (First Edition ed.). Dorling Kindersley (DK) Publishing, inc. p. 198. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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