Native Plant Database

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Phlox caespitosa (Tufted phlox)
Bransford, W.D. Mrs.

Phlox caespitosa Nutt.

Tufted phlox

Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family)

USDA Symbol: PHCA7

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

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 (Leptodactylon 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.

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Subshrub

Bloom Information

Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun

Distribution

USA: CA , CO , ID , MT , NV , NM , OR , UT , WA , WY
Canada: 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.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N)
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Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

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Additional resources

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2007-01-01
Research By: TWC Staff

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