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Smooth Phlox

Phlox glaberrima

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in wet forests and woodlands, especially bottomlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

52
Strong

Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
2–4 feet
Spread
2–2.5 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
April to June
Fruiting season
June to July

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 30 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 53 animals.

All wildlife of Arkansas

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Phlox

  • Aellopos titanTitan Sphinx
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Heliothis phloxiphagaSpotted Straw Sun Moth, Darker Spotted Straw Moth
  • Idia aemulaCommon Idia
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Pyrrhia exprimensPurple-Lined Sallow, Purple-Lined Sun Moth
  • Schinia indianaPhlox Flower Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
6BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Phlox

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Phlox

  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Flies 2
  • Scepsis fulvicollis
  • Syrphus americanus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 2
  • Anosia plexippus
  • Papilio asterias

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Polemoniaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Pink, purple, red or white
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single crown
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
June
Fruit ends
July

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Arkansas rankSNR
Global rankG5
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources