SAND PHLOX (Cleft Phlox) 



Phlox bifida Beck. 



April - May Like rri>i) embroidery or delicate lace, the flowers of saiul 

 Cliffs, sands jjhlox are draj)o{l over sandy slopes, in sandy woods, along 

 roads, on sandstone clilis. The slender root sturdily parts 

 a rock to enter and <ri'ow ; or extends dee])ly into the sand where moisture 

 lurks. The ])lants tluMnselves are insignificant. Before the trim, pointed 

 buds open, there is little that attracts the attention to that sunny sand 

 hank where the black jack oaks and red oaks grow, or to the sandstone 

 clilf above tlu' river. Hut on a sunny morning in late April or in early 

 May, the bank is suddenly exciting with ilowers. The sand phlox is in 

 bloom and the sand bank is an enchanted spot. 



The fl()wers are whit^, pale porcelain blue, or faintly lavender-pink, 

 tlu)ugii the blues and whites i)redominate. The ilowers are live-pointed 

 stars whose ])etals are so deei)ly cleft that they appear to be ten petals 

 instead of five. The center of the flower is the mouth of a short tube, in 

 whieh are i)ale yellow stamens and the ])istil. The sand phlox spreads 

 in a mat over the ground or rocks, sends long, thin stems trailing, and 

 everywhere puts out those starry blossoms in the spring sunshine. Then 

 they are finished. A little later, the inconspicuous plants are seldom no- 

 ticed by those who walk there, and not until sjiring will the sand ))hlox 

 again be beautiful enough to stop passing ears or invite the t'xclamations 

 of delight of a passing hiker. 



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