Phlox hoodii

Phlox hoodii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Polemoniaceae
Genus: Phlox
Species: P. hoodii
Binomial name
Phlox hoodii
Richardson

Phlox hoodii (spiny phlox or carpet phlox) is a species of phlox. It is a plant of western North America, where it is a common flower in sagebrush country. It is among the first plants to bloom in spring, after the snow has melted. Its distribution extends from Alaska to Arizona.[1] There are many subspecies.

This perennial herb is variable in morphology, but usually forms a tight mat or loose clump on the ground.[1] The short stems emerge from a woody taproot and caudex unit and the plant form is no more than 13 centimeters tall.[1] The abundant tiny, sharp-pointed leaves are oppositely arranged and barely exceed one centimeter long. The herbage is hairy in texture, the hairs short to long, woolly to cobwebby.[1] The appearance of the plant is almost mosslike until blooming.[2] The inflorescence is a solitary flower in shades of white, pink, or blue.[1] It has a tubular throat about a centimeter long spreading into a flat five-lobed corolla.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 US Forest Service Fire Ecology
  2. ↑ USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Wikispecies has information related to: Phlox hoodii var. canescens
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