Phlox pulchra

Phlox pulchra, commonly known as Wherry's phlox or Alabama phlox, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Polemoniacea. It is endemic to Alabama in the United States and historic to nine counties (Autauga, Bibb, Butler, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Shelby, Tuscaloosa, and Walker) Some occurrences are greatly diminished in size or extirpated, others have not been officially surveyed since the 1980s. Specimens have been vouchered in at least five of these counties. It was originally collected by Dr. Wherry in 1929 in Walker County and thought to be Phlox ovata. Under his cultivation, it was observed to differ as follows: sterile shoot present with partially evergreen leaves, small number of nodes on flowering shoots, large calyx and corolla. He published his findings in the journal Bartonia in 1934. The plant was collected in Walker County by Weezie Smith for Dr. Wherry prior to the publication of his book, The Genus Phlox, in 1955, which details the taxa. The showy, com......read more on Wikipedia.