Native Plants
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Phlox caespitosa
Phlox caespitosa Nutt.
Tufted Phlox
Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family)
Synonym(s): Phlox caespitosa ssp. eucaespitosa, Phlox douglasii, Phlox douglasii ssp. eudouglasii
USDA Symbol: PHCA7
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
A low, tufted, slightly woody plant with prickly, needle-like leaves and pale purple, pink, or white flowers.
Tufted Phlox resembles the smaller Granite Gilia (Linanthus pungens), which has leaves divided into needle-like segments. Cushion Phlox (P. pulvinata), found from eastern Oregon to southwestern Montana, in the Sierra Nevada, and throughout the Rocky Mountain region south to New Mexico, has been mistakenly called P. caespitosa; unlike Tufted Phlox, it forms tight mats, and its stems are not at all woody.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Herb , Subshrub
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 6 inches tall.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: White , Pink , PurpleBloom Time: Apr , May , Jun
Distribution
USA: CA , CO , ID , MT , NM , NV , OR , UT , WA , WYCanada: BC
Native Distribution: Southern British Columbia south to central Washington, northeastern Oregon, northern Idaho, and northwestern Montana.
Native Habitat: Dry open pinewoods, sometimes in sagebrush.
Web Reference
Webref 62 - Burke Herbarium Image Collection (2020) University of WashingtonWebref 30 - Calflora (2018) Calflora
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter
From the Archive
Wildflower Newsletter 1989 VOL. 6, NO.4 - Spring Climbs Rockies Slowly, Colorado Cooler, Conference of Wildflower and Nati...Additional resources
USDA: Find Phlox caespitosa in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Phlox caespitosa in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Phlox caespitosa
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-04-27Research By: TWC Staff