1306 



PHLOMIS 



A. Fls. yellow. 

 B. Plants shrubby: bracts not sharp and rigid at the 

 apex, 

 c. Wliorls SOSO-fld. 

 fruticdsa, Linn. Shrub, 2-4 ft. high, divaricately 

 much-branched: Ivs. rounded or wedge-shaped at the 

 base: bracts broadly ovate or ovate-lanceolate. S. En. 

 B.M. 1843. — In the East it blooms from June to July. 

 In S. Calif., according to Franceschi, it blooms in win- 

 ter, and has the merits of withstanding drought and 

 heavy sea winds. In New England it needs protection 

 in winter. 



cc. Whorls about 16-fld. 

 visodsa, Poir. Lvs. truncate or subcordate at the base : 

 bracts lanceolate-linear. Syria. Not in the trade, but 

 inserted to show the differences between this and P. 

 Busselliana as recognized by DeCandoUe. 

 BB. Plants herbaceous: bracts very sharp and rigid at 

 the apex. 

 Kusselliina, Lag. Herb, 3-.5 ft. high: lowest lvs. 

 deeply cordate: whorls 40-50-fld. Syria. B.M. 2542 (as 

 P. lunarifolia, var. Busselliana). 

 AA. Fls. purple. 

 tuberdsa, Linn. Herb, 3-5 ft. high : lvs. deeply cor- 

 date; lowest one.s 6 in. or more long; floral lvs. 2-3 in. 

 long, 6-8 lines wide: whorls .30-lO-fld. S. Eu., eastern 

 and northern Asia. B.M. 1555. ^, jl_ 



1758. Ouedlinburg or Star Phlox. 



A horticultural form of ridox Drummondii. 

 Natural size. 



FHLOX (Greek tor flame, once applied to species of 

 Lychnis). Pidnnoitiih'ea-. Phloxes are amongst the most 

 satisfartr.iv ..f L-nni. ti plants. Their neat habit, bright- 

 colort-il t! ' -I iR-ss of bloom, and ease of cul- 

 ture mil 1 - everywhere. The Phloxes are 

 herbs. • ; . ; ■ • iis all' North American (except 

 perhap.-. t i.i '. Mli.m., although P. Sibirica also grows 

 in Asiatic Kussia. There are two classes of Phloxes, 

 tlie annuals and the perennials. The annuals are deriva- 

 tives of Phlox Drummondii, of Texas, which has now 

 risen to first place as a garden annual. It has been im- 

 mensely modified by domestication, so that the named 

 garden varieties are numbered by scores. These garden 

 forms differ in stature, color, size and shape of flower. 

 Some are semi-double. An effort has been made to pro- 

 duce a yellow flower, but nothing nearer than a buff has 

 yet been secured. The Phlox colors run to the cyanic 

 series, and it is probable that a pure yellow is unattain- 

 able. Phlox Vmmnrondii is of the easiest culture. 

 This fact, together with the profusion and long season 



of its bloom, is an important reason for its popularity. 

 It needs a warm, sunny place. It will grow even in 

 poor soil, but in order to develop to its highest perfec- 

 tion it must have rich soil and the individual plants 



sett I., I ; .s.ini.tiiiH'^ tlirv arc v,,'. : ■,,!,..::■ I m the plants 



bl(".ln -" Villlii,- that tlii- 1- I ■• i ;'..,!. If the 

 grc.uii.l 1^ |"i"r and dry, tlir i-:.,;,; av,. bloom- 

 abundant they may be expected to continue their bloom 

 until late fall. 



The perennial Phloxes comprise many species. P. 

 paiiii-iihi/(i and J', iiinrnhita have given rise to the 



panicles liave becolin' i li. hniu^ in ^'an.- l<aiii^. and a-^ 

 densely ailed as a hydran-ra. -Ih.. .■,,!, a- av n.o.t fn- 

 quent in reds, but tlnrr arc many lairi.lc, w Imii, -;d]nMii 

 and parti-colored varietii ^. Th i^ i^ r. nni:il ! 'Id c\ should 

 have a rich and rather moist ^.ii; n n i- i ■ i- ii-wn tn 

 perfection. Let each cluraii li a i ; ■ ■ I I 1. 



veloped, of 2-3 ft. across. Tli. ; I : : : ...i-ai. 



nurseries usually do not com.- m'- t lid ;! a , i . r^n-ni ~s 

 until their third or fourth year. They will cnutinue to 

 thrive for several years with little attention, as is at- 

 tested by the fine clumps of old-fashioned forms about 

 homisti-ads. Fnr the highest satisfaction in blooms, 

 Imw, ■. . r, i1m plants should be relatively young or at 



lea I I c.l by dividing the clump. The stool 



^'raa , - nutwards. Prom the young, vigor- 



<ju a outside of the clump the new plants 



should I., r. .in .;, it one desires to propagate the variety 

 to any extent. Old stools should be taken up every year 

 or two, and divided and transplanted. This work is 

 done in the fall, after the growth has ceased. By this 

 process, the plants do not become weak and root-bound. 

 Inferior and vigorous seedlings are often allowed to 

 grow about the old plant, causing the named varieties 

 to "run out." The perennial Phloxes usually bloom in 

 early summer, but if the tips of the shoots are pinched 

 out once or twice in early summer, the bloom may be 

 delayed until late Summer or fall. 



Plilox is allied to Gilia and Polemonium. Some 

 species are more or less shrubby at the bnse. The 

 corolla is salverform, the lobes 5 ami iin--tl'/ nl.tii'^r', 



the throat narrow or nearly closed. 'I'l' -i n- m.- a. 



and inserted on the corolla-tube, the ami in 



eluded in the tube. The fruit is a -n iili 



3 locules and few to several small usually ila i-i, -. , d>. 

 Leaves mostly opposite (upper ones suiiietitiu-s alter- 

 nate), entire. 'See Gray, Syn. FI. vol. ii, pt. 1, p. 12'J. 



1. Drummondii, Hook. Figs. 1758-60. Erect, branch- 

 ing, 6-18 in. tall : lvs. oblong-acute or lanceolate, the 

 upper ones more or less clasping: fls. showy, in broad 

 mostly flat-topped cymes, the calyx-lobes long and nar- 

 row and spreading or recurving in fruit, the corolla- 

 lobes broad-obovate. Texas. B.M. 3411. B.R. 23:1949. 

 — This is the common annual garden Phlox, now culti- 

 vated in numerous varieties, some of them having 

 deeply cut petals (the "star" Phloxes). Fig. 1758. The 

 seeds were received in England in the spring of 1835, 



