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| "Phlox" is Greek for "flame"; some members of the Phlox genus are hot pinks and reds. Linnaeus named this genus in 1753. |
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Phlox
austromontana
(Phlox) Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family) Semi-desert, foothills. Canyons, shrublands. Spring. Phlox austromontana, from two to four inches tall,
spreads in dense, low mats. It is common to find
dozens of patches of Phlox austromontana brightening a sandy, barren area. Phlox austromontana has tiny, stiff, and sharp leaves which are
a lighter green than those of its close cousin, P. hoodii. For a comparison of the
characteristics of the two plants, see P.
hoodii below.
Coville named this species in 1893 from a specimen collected by Marcus Jones in 1880. "Austro" is Latin for "southern" and thus the
species name means "of the southern mountains".
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Phlox
austromontana (Phlox) Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family) Semi-desert, foothills. Canyons, shrublands. Spring. |
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Phlox
austromontana and Phlox hoodii
(Phlox) Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family) Semi-desert, foothills. Canyons, shrublands. Spring. Leaves of P. austromontana (upper photograph) are often lighter green, a bit longer, and more abruptly pointed. Leaves of both plants are stiff and prickly.
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Phlox hoodii
(Phlox) Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family) Semi-desert, foothills. Canyons, shrublands. Spring. Phlox hoodii and Phlox austromontana are very similar. P. hoodii is generally a smaller plant in all regards. It has flowers about 1/3 smaller than those of P. austromontana and its leaves are smaller and more densely clustered along the stem. Several distinguishing factors require a hand lens to note: the calyx of P. hoodii is not keeled between the main lobes; the calyx of P. austromontana is keeled in the lower half of the area between the calyx lobes. The calyx of P. hoodii is hairy and the calyx of P. austromontana usually lacks hairs; the ones shown in the photographs at the top of this page are hairy. |
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Phlox hoodii (Phlox) Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family) Semi-desert, foothills. Canyons, shrublands. Spring. On the 1819-1822 Franklin Arctic Expedition, John Richardson collected this plant in Saskatchewan and he named it in 1823 for an Expedition companion, the map maker and artist, Robert Hood. (Click for more biographical information about Hood.) |
Range map © John Kartesz,
County Color Key
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Range map for Phlox austromontana
Range map for Phlox hoodii |