Phlox buckleyi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phlox buckleyi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Polemoniaceae
Genus:	Phlox
Species:	P. buckleyi
Binomial name
Phlox buckleyi Wherry
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The Phlox buckleyi, also known as the swordleaf phlox or shale-barren phlox, is a special type of plant. It grows naturally in the states of Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. You can often find it in open forests, especially on hillsides made of a type of rock called shale.

Scientists first collected a sample of this plant in 1838. However, it wasn't officially named as its own species until 1930.

About the Swordleaf Phlox

The swordleaf phlox is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years, often coming back year after year. It is also an herb, which means it has soft stems instead of woody ones like trees.

How It Grows

This plant spreads out using special stems called stolons. These stolons run along the ground, helping the plant to cover more area. At the ends of these stolons, you'll find groups of long, thin, evergreen leaves. These leaf groups are called rosettes.

From the center of these leaf rosettes, a straight stem grows upwards. This stem can reach a height of up to 40 cm (about 16 inches).

Its Flowers

The flowers of the swordleaf phlox grow in clusters. These clusters are called inflorescences. They can be a cyme (a flat-topped cluster) or a larger, branched group of cymes called a paniculate cyme.

The flowers themselves are a beautiful bright purple color. The purple gets lighter as you move closer to the center of the flower. Right at the very middle, the color becomes a very dark purple.