Annual Phlox (Phlox drummondii)

By Charmaine Delmatier (2014)

Annual phlox (Phlox drummondii), a member of the Polemoniaceae family, is widespread from Texas to Alabama and Florida and as far north as Minnesota. Originally endemic to Texas, it has been collected over many years and has been distributed as far away as Europe for its showy popular display of color.  Derived from Greek meaning, “Flame”, annual phlox can be found in grasslands and open woodlands, but prefers well drained sandy soils that are usually acidic to neutral.  The flowers are clustered at the terminal end of the flowering stem which can vary from 6 – 15 (20) inches tall.  Petal color is variable and ranges from red to bright pink to peach to white, and often has a different colored eye.  A many branched inflorescence; the leaves are soft and hairy but also somewhat sticky from glandular hairs.  The flower shape is trumpet-like with a short narrow tube, and provides a good source of nectar for visiting butterflies.

Named after Thomas Drummond for collecting and sending native seed to Great Britain in 1835, it is now considered a showy exotic cultivar in many gardens around the world.  Thomas Drummond, a native of Scotland, came to the United States to conduct a botanical survey in many of the western and southern states.  His personal goal was to generate a complete inventory of Texas, but he died early at the age of 45.  However, he was able to collect 750 species of plants and 150 bird specimens before his untimely death in Cuba.

Because of its popularity as an ornamental, annual phlox seed can be purchased from several European and American seed companies.  Easy to grow, and somewhat heat and drought-tolerant, it is robust in cool summer climates, and can bloom throughout the summer.  It has become a popular road-side showy plant, especially in southeastern United States.

For centuries, and thousands of years in some parts of the world, cultures have been utilizing several members of Polemoniaceae.  The sweet-smelling long-leaved phlox was utilized by several North American nations including the Havasupai from Arizona; the Okanagan from British Columbia and Washington; the Paiute from California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah; the Shoshone from Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming; and the Washoe from Nevada and California.  Internally, an infusion of the entire plant was given to anemic children and to babies with stomachaches.  Externally, powdered roots can be rubbed over the body for colds and aches and leaves can be applied on boils and scorpion stings.  Modern herbal remedies are becoming more popular with their medicinal properties being accepted readily.  For example, Espinolla (Loeselia coccinea), a native herb in Mexico, is used as remedy for respiratory disease, stomach inflammation, and post-childbirth fever.

The radiant beauty of many members of the Polemoniaceae have been and are being recognized as important ornamentals; and in Bolivia and Peru, it has become a national treasure.  Kantuta (Cantua buxiolia) is the national flower of Bolivia and Peru and revered as a ‘magic flower’ and the ‘sacred flower of the Incas’.  The stripes on the Bolivian flag represent red, yellow, and green hues from the Kantuta flower.