2586 



PHLOMIS 



PHLOX 



oblong or ovate-oblong, obtuse at apex, narrowed at 

 base, paler and almost hoary beneath, the lower ones 

 long-stalked: fls. golden yellow, 1^ i n - long, in a showy 

 terminal whorl or head 4 in. across with 2 pendulous 

 floral Ivs. beneath; bracts small, or orbicular; calyx 

 %in. long, 10-ribbed; corolla with villous 2-keeled 

 galea, and large lower lip with 2 wings or lobes at end. 

 Asia Minor. B.M. 7699. A striking plant. 



Lychnitis, Linn. LAMP-WICK PLANT. Somewhat 

 woody, 2 ft., hoary: Ivs. sessile and amplexicaul, oblong- 

 linear, narrowed at both ends, white-tomentose beneath: 

 whorls few-fld., much shorter than the floral Ivs.; bracts 

 broad at base; fls. yellow, the corolla twice longer than 

 calyx. S. Eu. B.M. 999. The specific name Lychnitis 

 refers to the use of the slender radical Ivs. as lamp- wicks. 



viscosa, Poir. (P. Russelidna, Benth.). Shrubby, 

 glabrous, but viscid above, with elongated branches: 

 Ivs. ovate and oblong-lanceolate, the lower ones petioled 

 and strongly cordate at base; floral Ivs. cuneate-lanceo- 

 late and acuminate, much surpassing the fls.: whorls 

 many-fld., remote, with lance-linear rigid bracts; 

 corolla yellow, twice longer than calyx, the galea 

 emarginate, lower lip with broad lobe. Asia Minor. 

 B.M. 2542 (as P. lunarifolia var. Russeliana). 



AA. Fls. purple, or pinkish, at least inside. 



tuberosa, Linn. Herb, 3-6 ft. high, nearly smooth, 

 with thickened root: Ivs. deeply cordate, ovate, petioled, 

 crenate, the lower ones triangular-ovate and 6 in. or 

 more long; floral Ivs. 2-3 in. long, 6-8 lines wide, oblong- 

 lanceolate: whorls 30-40-fld., bearing purple fls. that 

 are white-bearded inside. S. Eu., E. and N. Asia. 

 B.M. 1555. Little planted; known mostly as a weedy 

 naturalized species. 



Herba-venti, Linn. Much-branched, 1-2 ft., hairy: 

 Ivs. oblong-lanceolate, or ovate-oblong, crenate, coria- 

 ceous, rounded at base, either canescent or green 

 beneath: whorls 10-20-fld., much surpassed by the 

 long floral Ivs.; fls. purplish, tomentose on outside; 

 galea much arched; lower lip short. Medit. B.M. 

 2449. G. 35:712. The name Herba-venti means 

 "wind herb." It is recorded that "when exposed to 

 wind and rain, the leaves are apt to lose their softer 

 parts, leaving merely a network of fibers, pervious to the 

 wind, whence the old name of Herba-venti." 



cashmeriana, Royle. Sts. several, stout, terete, 

 densely white-woolly, 2-3 ft. high: Ivs. linear-oblong, 

 obtuse, rugose and crenate, cordate at base, pubes- 

 cent above, the radical ones long-petioled: whorls 

 many-fld., 1-1 J^ in. diam.; bracts numerous, filiform, 

 ciliate and tomentose; fls. pale purple; galea very large, 

 tomentose but not fringed; lower lip very broad; calyx- 

 teeth spine-like and half length of the tube. Afghanis- 

 tan, Himalaya. B.R. 30:22. J.F. 3:284. 



Samia, Linn. Pubescent, 2-3 ft., simple or sparingly 

 opposite-paniculate-branched: Ivs. ovate-oblong, cor- 

 date and somewhat acute, petioled, rugose and crenate, 

 green above and tomentose beneath : whorls 10-15-fld., 

 bracts many, linear, very acute; fls. hairy, greenish 

 white outside, pinkish and purple-veined inside. Greece, 

 Asia Minor. B.M. 1891. G. 35:711. L. H. B.f 



PHLOX (Greek for flame, once applied to species of 

 Lychnis). Polemoniacese. Showy and popular flower- 

 garden herbs, perennial and annual. 



Erect or diffuse, tall or low, mostly perennial, gla- 

 brous, pubescent or hairy, a few of them woody at base 

 but mainly herbaceous throughout: Ivs. mostly opposite 

 or sometimes the upper ones alternate, entire: fls. in 

 bright colors, blue, red, blue-red, purple, white, in 

 terminal cymes or thyrse; calyx narrow-tubular or 

 sometimes nearly campanulate, 5-ribbed and 5-cleft, 

 the lobes sharp-pointed; corolla convolute in bud, 

 salverform, with a very slender tube and a flat-spreading 

 5-lobed limb, the lobes obovate or broader and some- 



times notched; stamens 5, usually unequal in length or 

 in point of attachment, usually included; ovary 3-celled, 

 oblong or ovoid, the style slender: caps. 3-valved, the 

 seeds 1 or few in each cell, usually 1. Species 48 as 

 defined by Brand in Engler's Das Pflanzenreich, hft. 

 27 (IV. 250), 1907, one of which is Siberian and the 



others N.Ameri- 

 can, in woods 

 and thickets and 

 on prairies and 

 plains, some of 

 them alpine and 

 arctic. 



From a horti- 

 cultural point of 

 view, the phloxes 

 may be thrown 

 into five groups: 

 (1) the annual 

 phloxes, P. 

 Drummondii; (2) 

 the highly de- 

 veloped summer 

 perennial tall phloxes of 

 nurseries and gardens, P. 

 paniculata and P. macu- 

 lata; (3) the moss pinks, 

 P. subulata and its vari- 

 ants, useful as carpeters; 

 (4) those useful in alpine 

 and rock-gardening, 

 although little employed 

 for the purpose in America, 

 represented by P. multi- 

 flora and the cespitose 

 Rocky Mountains set 

 which seems not to be in 

 the lists; (5) the early 

 blooming perennial woods 

 and plains species not yet 

 much domesticated but 

 often naturalized in 

 grounds, as P. pilosa, P. 

 divaricata, and others. As 

 a group, phloxes are 

 amongst the most satis- 

 factory of garden plants. 

 Their neat habit, bright-colored flowers, profuseness of 

 bloom, and ease of culture make them favorites every- 

 where. Most of the domesticated kinds are summer 

 bloomers, but P. subulata is spring-flowering. 



The annual phloxes, derivatives of Phlox Drummondii, 

 of Texas, have risen to first place as garden annuals. 

 This species has been much modified by domestication, 

 so that the named garden varieties are numbered by 

 dozens. These garden forms differ in stature, color, size 

 and shape of flower. Some are semi-double. An effort 

 has been made to produce a yellow flower, but appar- 

 ently a true yellow has not yet been secured. The 

 colors run to the cyanic series, in many interesting 

 variations. Phlox Drummondii is of the easiest cul- 

 ture. This fact, together with the profusion and long 

 season of its bloom, is an important reason for its popu- 

 larity. It blooms all summer and until frost if the 

 stock and conditions are good. It needs a warm sunny 

 place. It will grow even in poor soil, but in order to 

 develop to its highest perfection it must have good 

 soil and the individual plants must be given room 

 (say 1 foot apart each way). Seeds are usually sown in 

 the open as soon as the weather is settled; sometimes 

 they are sown indoors, but the plants bloom so young 

 that this is rarely practised. If the ground is poor and 

 dry, the plants usually cease blooming by midsummer, 

 but if plant-food and moisture are abundant they may 

 be expected to continue their bloom until late autumn. 

 To attain this result most perfectly, the old flower- 



2909. Cultivated forms of 

 Phlox Drummondii. 



