PLANT: Perennial with 1-6 stems, suffrutescent; stems 3-6(-8) dm tall, the internodes evident, pilose to short villous.

LEAVES: inear to narrowly lanceolate, flat, 2-5 cm long, 1-3 mm wide, glabrous to sparsely pilose.

INFLORESCENCE: flowers 2-3; pedicelled; pedicels sparsely glandular to short pilose.

FLOWERS: calyx 7-12 mm long, the membranes flat; corolla narrowly funnelform, white to lavender, the tube 7-16 mm long, the lobes 3-5 mm wide, obtuse to truncate; stamens inserted on the upper tube; stigmas located among the anthers.

NOTES: Open to shaded sites, canyons, rocky ravines, shrublands or woodlands: Cochise, Gila, Graham, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai cos.; 400-1500 m (1400-4800 ft); Feb-May, Aug-Sep; AZ to NM and n Chih.

REFERENCES: Dieter H. Wilken and J. Mark Porter, 2005, Vascular Plants of Arizona: Polemoniaceae. CANOTIA 1: 1-37.

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Subshrub

General: Perennial with 1-6 stems, suffrutescent; stems 3-6 dm tall, the internodes evident, pilose to short villous.

Leaves: Linear to narrowly lanceolate, flat, 2-5 cm long, 1-3 mm wide, glabrous to sparsely pilose.

Flowers: Usually 2-3, pedicelled, pedicels sparsely glandular to short pilose; calyx 7-12 mm long, the membranes flat, corolla narrowly funnelform, white to lavender, the tube 7-16 mm long, lobes 3-5 mm wide, obtuse to truncate; stamens inserted on the upper tube; stigmas located among the anthers.

Fruits: Ovoid capsules, 4-5 mm long, obtuse at apex.

Ecology: Found in open to shaded sites, in canyons, rocky ravines, from 1,500-5,000 ft (457-1524 m); flowers April-June.

Notes: This is the only really shrubby phlox there is, the stiff stems and the fragrant, delicate white flowers help to distinguish this species.

Ethnobotany: Unknown, but other species in the genus have many uses.

Etymology: Phlox is from the Greek phlox, or flame, while tenuifolia means having finely divided or slender leaves.

Synonyms: None

Editor: SBuckley, 2010