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Spiny phlox

Phlox hoodii

Also called Hood's Phlox, Carpet Phlox, Moss Phlox, Moss Pink

Spiny phlox
Photo: Walter Siegmund (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
Family
Polemoniaceae (Polemoni family)
Grows as
Perennial
Native range
Alaska to WC. & NC. U.S.A.
Climate
temperate

About

Phlox hoodii, the 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, mostly growing in dry lithosol habitats. It is among the first plants to bloom in spring, after the snow has melted. Its distribution extends from Alaska to Arizona. There are many subspecies.

This perennial herb is variable in morphology, but usually forms a tight mat or loose clump on the ground. The short stems emerge from a woody taproot and caudex unit and the plant form is no more than 13 centimetres (5 in) tall. The abundant tiny, sharp-pointed leaves are oppositely arranged and barely exceed one centimetre (1⁄3 in) long. The herbage is hairy in texture, the hairs short to long, woolly to cobwebby. The appearance of the plant is almost mosslike until blooming.

Other Phlox plants

Slender phlox · Northern phlox · Alyssumleaf phlox · Hairy phlox · Mountain phlox · Cleft phlox · Swordleaf phlox · Tufted phlox · Thickleaf phlox · Dwarf phlox · Pointed phlox · Spreading phlox

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Phlox hoodii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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