North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Phlox divaricata

Phlox divaricata L.

eastern blue phlox, timber phlox, wild blue phlox

Cultivar(s): Clouds of Perfume, London Grove, May Breeze

Image ID: 12624
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: PHDI5
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Phlox divaricata
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-02-12

CULTIVAR INDEX

Cult_id	Cultivar_name	Action
1692	Clouds of Perfume	View
1693	London Grove	View
1695	May Breeze	View

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: PHLOX
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Phlox
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Phlox
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 70 species, herbs (and creeping subshrubs), of temperate North America (with 1 species in ne. Asia).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Wherry (1955)=Z; Levin (1966)=Y; Ferguson, Kr�mer, & Jansen (1999); Wilken in Kubitzki (2004). Key based on C and Z.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: POLEMO
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Polemoniaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Jacob's-ladder Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of 18 genera and 350-380 species, herbs, vines, and shrubs (rarely trees), mainly of temperate North America, but extending into tropical America and also in Eurasia.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Wilson (1960a); Grant (1997); Grant (1998); Prather, Ferguson, & Jansen (2000); Wilken in Kubitzki (2004).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect to reclining perennial of moist deciduous forests in circumneutral soils; may form colonies through self-seeding.
STEMS: Stems unbranched, hairy and often glandular-sticky; nonflowering stems sprawl on ground and root at nodes.
LEAVES: Leaves opposite, sessile, narrowly lance-shaped to oval, 1-2 in. long, with both surfaces sparsely hairy and margins with small stiff hairs.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers in a loose, flattish terminal cluster; pale blue to lavender (can be red-purple) with darker eye; 3/4-1 in. wide; consisting of 5 somewhat spoon-shaped (narrow at base) lobes that flare abruptly outward from a hairless, narrow tube. The calyx consists of 5 glandular-hairy, purplish, very narrow sepals and 5 stamens are hidden inside the corolla tube.
FRUITS: Fruit a oval capsule.
COMMENTS: Flowers fragrant.
HEIGHT: to 20 in.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Opposite
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION: Evergreen

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: April-June

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Pale blue to lavender

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x						x		x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Moist forests
NATIVE RANGE: eastern North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: This early-flowering SE native is an excellent garden plant. Its panicles of fragrant pale blue to white flowers are plentiful in the spring and make great cut flowers. Eastern blue phlox is semi- evergreen and makes a fine edging or woodland groundcover. Often found growing in rich woods, this phlox self- sows to create impressive drifts. Try planting in combination with eastern columbine for a beautiful spring garden.

Bloom Table Text: This native North Carolina perennial blooms April through June. It grows to twenty inches tall and produces clusters of purple-blue flowers that are quite fragrant and abundant. Phlox species have been extensively hybridized and are popular among gardeners because they spread very readily, forming a carpet of flowers in early spring. The name for this plant comes from the Greek word for “flame”, which may refer to the torch-like shape of the buds. Eastern blue phlox is also known as wild sweet William.

NCBG Location: Education Center Landscape, Totten Center Landscape

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 3
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
2107	1986-1909			View
3355	1990-0226			View
3471	1991-0116			View
6768	1996-0431			View
9154	2007-0414	2020-04-07	1910	View
9155	2007-0415	2020-04-07	1911	View
9158	2007-0418	2020-04-07	1914	View
9329	2018-0213			View

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
1346	HORT	2006-05-01	Bryan	View
1748	HORT	2005-01-01	Bryan	View
1910	HORT	2007-10-25	Stern	View
1911	HORT	2007-10-25	Stern	View
1914	HORT	2007-10-25	Stern	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
3519	2107	80	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3520	2107	76	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
3521	2107	77	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
3522	2107	79	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
3523	2107	187	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
5586	3355	142	NCBG staff	1999-01-01	View
5587	3355	138	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
5588	3355	27	NCBG staff	1989-11-20	View
5589	3355	139	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
5590	3355	140	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
5721	3471	82	NCBG staff	2001-01-01	View
5722	3471	8	NCBG staff	1990-03-27	View
5723	3471	94	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
9567	6768	115	NCBG staff	1967-12-01	View
12123	9154	159	Stern	2007-10-25	View
12124	9155	159	Stern	2007-10-25	View
12127	9158	155	Stern	2007-10-25	View
12455	3355	218	Briggs	2021-01-15	View
12486	9329	145	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12721	0	12	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
12925	0	198	MacIntyre	0000-00-00	View
13241	0	68	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
13316	0	65	Liloia	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: PHDI5
USDA Common Name: Wild Blue Phlox
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV), CAN (ON, QC)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU				FACU	FACU		FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

2018 Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species of North Carolina

NHP ID	S RANK	ROUNDED S RANK	G RANK	ROUNDED G RANK	STATE STATUS	FEDERAL STATUS
21741	S3	S3	G5	G5	W1

This information is derived from the 2018 North Carolina Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species.

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Phlox divaricata
COMMON NAME: Eastern Blue Phlox, Timber Phlox
SYNONYMY: [= Mo, RAB, S, Va, W, WH3, WV; > P. divaricata var. divaricata - C, F, G, Tn; > P. divaricata var. laphamii A.W. Wood - C, F, G, Tn; > P. divaricata ssp. divaricata - IL, K, Pa, Y, Z; > P. divaricata ssp. laphamii (A.W. Wood) Wherry - K, Pa, Y, Z]
PHENOLOGY: Apr-Jun.
HABITAT: Moist deciduous forests in circumneutral soils.
COMMENTS: VT and QC west to MN, south to e. NC, GA, Panhandle FL, and TX.
RANGE MAP: Phlox divaricata.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Polemoniaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Jacob's-ladder Family)
SUMMARY: A family of 18 genera and 350-380 species, herbs, vines, and shrubs (rarely trees), mainly of temperate North America, but extending into tropical America and also in Eurasia.
REFERENCE: Wilson (1960a); Grant (1997); Grant (1998); Prather, Ferguson, & Jansen (2000); Wilken in Kubitzki (2004).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Phlox L. (Phlox)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 70 species, herbs (and creeping subshrubs), of temperate North America (with 1 species in ne. Asia).
REFERENCE: Wherry (1955)=Z; Levin (1966)=Y; Ferguson, Kr�mer, & Jansen (1999); Wilken in Kubitzki (2004). Key based on C and Z.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Phlox divaricata in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Phlox divaricata in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Phlox divaricata in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Phlox divaricata in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Phlox divaricata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Phlox divaricata

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 12624 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 9374 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 29949 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)