Phlox maculata L.

Locations ofPhlox maculata L. in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Polemoniaceae
Botanical Name
Phlox maculata L.
Common Name
Meadow Phlox, Wild Sweet-william
Synonym(s)
Phlox maculata L. ssp. maculata; Phlox maculata L. ssp. pyramidalis (Smith) Wherry
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Phlox maculata L.
Comments
Two largely sympatric subspecies have been ascribed to our area, but their validity needs investigation. Ssp. maculata is reported to have 7–15 well-spaced nodes and the upper leaves oblong to ovate and cordate at the base, flowering in early summer; ssp. pyramidalis (Smith) Wherry is reported to have 16–35 crowded nodes and the upper leaves lanceolate to ovate-oblong; truncate to subcordate at the base, flowering late summer. At least a few herbarium specimens have been labelled or annotated to subspecies, but differences in habitat and in-state distribution, if any, are not at all clear. A more comprehensive study of Virginia herbarium specimens will be needed to sort this out and make mapping of subspecies feasible.
Habitat
Wet meadows and clearings, stream banks, calcareous fens, bogs, seeps, and seepage swamps. Frequent in the mountains; infrequent in the Piedmont; rare in the inner Coastal Plain.
Native Status
Native

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