A 



PHLOX NOMENCLATURE 



By W1L1.ARD N. Clute. 



\\\\ there two distinct species of phlox included under the 

 name of Phlox divaricata? This is the question that is like- 

 ly to arise in the minds of those who examine specimens of the 

 ordinary sweet William from extremes of its range. Those 

 who know^ only the eastern form are likely to descrilx^ the flow- 

 ers as having obcordate or emarginate petals hut western plants 

 differ from this and often — perhaps always — have petals that 

 are entire. Botanical Manuals, written in the Eastern States, 

 usually describe the flowers either as having emarginate petals 

 or make the description flexible enough to include both forms. 

 There is one exception to this statement, however. That 

 observant botanist, Alphonso Wood, in his "Class-Book of Bot- 

 anv". published more than sixty years ago, describes the east- 

 ern form as having emarginate petals and then adds: "b. Lap- 

 /laiiiii Lvs ovate, pet ()I>i}isc, entire. \Ms. (Lapham ). Western 



Eastern Form Western Form 



PHLOX DIVA RIC ATA 



Reserve (Cowles) and southward, not imcommon". Having 

 cultivated plants fn.ni the East along side of our ccjuimon 

 form of tile Middle West for some time, I am inclined to l)e- 

 lieve that there are constant differences between the two. The 

 flowers of tlie eastern form are somewhat larger and the 



