Polemoniaceae
Phlox Family
Phlox pilosa L.
- Stem: perennial; 1’ to 2’ tall; sometimes branched above; hairy.
- Leaves: opposite; lance-shaped; 1 1/2” by 1/8”; sessile; hairy above and below.
- Inflorescence: corymbiform to columnar; clusters of flowers on flower stalks from the stem tip and upper leaf axils.
- Flowers: corolla commonly red but ranging from nearly white to lavender, the lighter variants with dark spots (nectar guides) at the base of the lobes of the corolla; floral tube 1/2” long, the lobes 5/16”; calyx 1/2” long with lance-shaped lobes, hairy; flowering from mid-May to early June; compared to central Iowa flowering in northern Iowa is delayed by three weeks and in southern Iowa by one week.
- Fruits: round capsule, 1/8” in diameter, light brown, breaking into three sections; seeds black, 1/16” long, three per fruit, being thrown from the fruit as it opens explosively upon drying; fruiting begins in early June.
- Habitat: common on mesic to dry prairies, also in open woods and woodland openings; occasionally on roadsides and in open, grassy places.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
Can be found in these counties:
