Plant Data Sheet
Species (common name, Latin name)
Spreading Phlox, Phlox diffusa
Range
It is widespread through
the Cascades from southern British Columbia to the Sierra Nevada of California.
Eastward, it ranges across northern Washington, Idaho, and Montana to the west
slopes of the Rocky Mts.
Climate, elevation
Spreading Phlox is a wildflower of middle to high
elevations in the mountains. It is typically found in open forests or open
rocky slopes.
Local occurrence (where, how
common)
Spreading Phlox is found from the mountains of
Vancouver Island, south through the Olympic Mts, and at Saddle Mt in the coast
range of Oregon. It may occasionally be found as far south as the mountains of
central Idaho and northeastern Oregon.
Habitat preferences
Exposed rocky sites to open forests from middle to high
elevations (WNPS)
Plant strategy type/successional
stage (stress-tolerator, competitor, weedy/colonizer, seral, late successional)
Creeping perennial
Associated species
?
May be collected as: (seed,
layered, divisions, etc.)
Cuttings, seed, divisions
Collection restrictions or
guidelines
None
Seed germination (needs dormancy
breaking?)
Seeds should be chilled in the refrigerator a week
before planting. They may be started indoors at a 65-degree temperature, 8 to
10 weeks before it's safe to plant outside.
Seed life (can be stored, short
shelf-life, long shelf-life)
?
Recommended seed storage conditions
?
Propagation recommendations (plant
seeds, vegetative parts, cuttings, etc.)
Seed when ripe or in early spring cuttings in late
summer (The rock garden database). They
should be sown in two parts of loam and one part of leaf mold or peat moss,
with a liberal amount of sand added. Lightly cover them. Set a pane of glass
over them. Gradually harden them off before setting outdoors. When they are to
grow in a sunny greenhouse, seeds may be sown in pots of sandy soil from August
to February to provide blooms in the late winter and early spring. The
perennial, summer flowering Phloxes can be increased readily by cuttings, which
may be taken at any time during the spring and summer.
Soil or medium requirements
(inoculum necessary?)
Prefer sand
Installation form (form, potential
for successful outcomes, cost)
Fresh shoots of the current year's growth are used;
those that are flowerless are the best choice, though even the tops of shoots
that have flowered may be used if necessary. Insert these into a bed of sand in
a frame and keep it closed and shaded for a few weeks.
Can also be propagated by root cuttings taken in early
autumn. The easiest way to increase perennial Phloxes is by separating large
clumps into several rooted pieces in October or early spring and replanting
immediately. Only the outer pieces should be used to replant because these are
the younger portions. However, the best method is to raise new plants from
cuttings. The perennial, spring flowering Phloxes may be increased by seeds
sown in the spring, by soft cuttings of non-flowering shoots taken in early
summer and inserted in a bed of sand in a cold frame, or by root division in
the spring or early summer (The
rock garden database)
Recommended planting density
Care requirements after installed
(water weekly, water once etc.)
sunny, dry, rock crevices, protection against winter wet
alpine house, poor, drained soil, sun. (Botany .com)
Normal rate of growth or spread;
lifespan
not exceeding 10 cm in height
Sources cited
http://www.wnps.org/plants/phlox_diffusa.html (Washington Native Plant Society)
http://web.kadel.cz/flora/c/kvCard.asp?Id=4009
(The rock garden database)
http://www.botany.com/phlox.html (Botany .com)
Data compiled by (student name and
date)
Roger Whalley 04-29-03