Phlox condensata
| Phlox condensata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Polemoniaceae |
| Genus: | Phlox |
| Species: | P. condensata |
| Binomial name | |
| Phlox condensata (A.Gray) E.E.Nelson | |
| Subspecies[2] | |
| |
| Synonyms[3] | |
| |
Phlox condensata is a species of phlox known by the common name dwarf phlox. It is native to the western United States including eastern California, Nevada, and Colorado, where it grows in rocky, mountainous areas. It is a very compact mat-forming perennial herb growing in patches often less than a centimeter tall. The toothlike lance-shaped leaves are no more than half a centimeter long and lined with stiff hairs. The inflorescence is a solitary tubular flower up to a centimeter long with a flat white or pale pink corolla.
Taxonomy
Phlox condensata was first described by Asa Gray as variety of Phlox caespitosa in 1870. It was recategorized as a species by Elias Emanuel Nelson in 1899, though Edgar T. Wherry disagreed, describing it as a subspecies of Phlox caespitosa in 1941. It is part of the Phlox genus within the wider Polemoniaceae family and has two accepted subspecies.[2]
- Phlox condensata subsp. condensata – Native to California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado[4]
- Phlox condensata subsp. covillei – Native to California and Nevada[3]
Phlox condensata has seven synonyms of the species or subspecies covillei according to Plants of the World Online.[5] However, NatureServe follows an alternate taxonomy with Phlox covillei as a species confined to California and Nevada and Phlox condensata as a Rocky Mountain Species growing in New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.[6]
| Name | Year | Rank | Synonym of: | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phlox caespitosa subsp. condensata (A.Gray) Wherry | 1941 | subspecies | P. condensata | ≡ hom. |
| Phlox caespitosa var. condensata A.Gray | 1870 | variety | P. condensata | ≡ hom. |
| Phlox caespitosa var. covillei (E.E.Nelson) Brand | 1907 | variety | subsp. covillei | ≡ hom. |
| Phlox covillei E.E.Nelson | 1899 | species | subsp. covillei | ≡ hom. |
| Phlox covillei f. dejecta (A.Nelson & P.B.Kenn.) Wherry | 1942 | form | subsp. covillei | = het. |
| Phlox dejecta A.Nelson & P.B.Kenn. | 1906 | species | subsp. covillei | = het. |
| Phlox douglasii var. covillei (E.E.Nelson) Jeps. | 1943 | variety | subsp. covillei | ≡ hom. |
| Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym | ||||
References
Citations
Sources
Web sources
- NatureServe (2 July 2026a). "Phlox condensata". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- NatureServe (2 July 2026b). "Phlox covillei". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- POWO (2026a). "Phlox condensata (A.Gray) E.E.Nelson". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- POWO (2026b). "Phlox condensata subsp. condensata". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
- POWO (2026c). "Phlox condensata subsp. covillei (E.E.Nelson) Locklear". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
External links
