Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata)
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Native
Family:
Polemoniaceae (Phlox)
Height: 1 to 2 ft.
Blooms: April to
June
Leaf Type:
smooth
Bloom Size: 1 in. (typical)
Flower Description:
Flat or rounded clusters,
Regular blooms, 5 parts
Location: Allegheny Highlands Trail
Date: 5/1/2005
More photos of this flower
Wild Blue Phlox may be
easily confused with:
- Bouncing Bet
Petals of bouncing bet bend starply backwards. Wild blue phlox has whorls of small, narrow leaves, while bouncing bet has larger ovate leaves. Bouncing bet also occurs in hues of pink through blue, and white, while wild blue phlox is normally (duh) blue or lavender.
- Dame's Rocket
Dame's rocket had four petals; phlox has five.
- Garden Phlox
Wild blue phlox has smaller leaves and flatter clusters of blooms. Flowers of the wild blue phlox all radiate from the end of the stem, while garden phlox has clusters growing from the axils.
- Wild Sweet William
Wild blue phlox is typically a delicate blue or lavender, while the sweet William is a brighter pink. Sweet William also had a denser flower head, blooms later in the season, and has smaller individual flowers.
We started out as wildflowers from the bicycle trails of western Pennsylvania, but we've
grown!
Meyer, Joseph E. (1918). The Herbalist and Herb Doctor. Hammond, Ind.: Indiana Herb Gardens. 400 pp.
