Phlox hoodii

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.[1] It is among the first plants to bloom in spring, after the snow has melted. Its distribution extends from Alaska to Arizona.[2] There are many subspecies.

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

This perennial herb is variable in morphology, but usually forms a tight mat or loose clump on the ground.[2] The short stems emerge from a woody taproot and caudex unit and the plant form is no more than 13 centimetres (5 in) tall.[2] 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.[2] The appearance of the plant is almost mosslike until blooming.[3] The inflorescence is a solitary flower in shades of white, pink, or blue.[2] It has a tubular throat about one centimetre (1⁄3 in) long spreading into a flat five-lobed corolla.

References
  1. Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 112. ISBN 0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
  2. US Forest Service Fire Ecology
  3. USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center


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