Downy phlox is a long-blooming, herbaceous perennial wildflower in the phlox family (Polemoniaceae). It is native to North America. The specific epithet pilosa means hairy and refers to the soft white hairs on the stems, leaves and corolla tubes. Downy phlox grows in full sun to partial shade and in most soil types. It is tolerant of dry soil but a summer mulch is recommended to keep the root zone cool. Its rhizomes form clumps that allow it to spread easily, growing 1 to 2 feet tall and 12 to 18 inches wide. Only a medium amount of maintenance is required to prevent it from spreading into unwanted areas. Propagate through stem or root cuttings or by seed. The flowers are showy pale pink to lavender, fragrant and extremely attractive to butterflies. There are nine subspecies of this species. Phlox pilosa ssp. pilosa is widespread and the only one native to North Carolina's Piedmont and coastal plain. It is distinguished from the other subspecies by glandular hairs in the inflorescence. Downy phlox is excellent for sunny meadows or woodland areas. Use it also in small drifts in rock, cottage, butterfly, pollinator, native or drought-tolerant gardens. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Downy phlox has no serious insect or disease problems although hot, dry conditions can promote spider mite infestations. It has resistance to powdery mildew. VIDEO Created by Homegrown featuring Mark Weathington , Director of JC Raulston Arboretum More information on Phlox .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Spreading
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Velvety
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are opposite, widely-spaced, sharp-pointed, stalkless, deep green, with prominent central veins and often finely pubescent. The lower leaves are linear, while the upper leaves are lanceolate.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Star; Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Each fragrant, tubular, pink to pale purple flowers (to 3/4” diameter) has a long corolla tube and five flat petal-like lobes. Corolla tubes are often covered with soft white hairs, (pilosa means soft-hairy). Florets are loosely packed in rounded terminal clusters (cymes). Downy phlox blooms May to July with occasional rebloom in the fall.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Black; Green
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Papery, oval 1/8 inch seed capsule which breaks into 3 sections and will split open when dry and explosively discharge the seeds.
Stem color
Green
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America
Distribution
Connecticut south to Florida, west to eastern North Dakota, south to Oklahoma and Texas and to the Coahuila state of Mexico
Wildlife value
Its flowers attract bees, butterflies, and Cloudwing skippers. Bees include bumblebees, Anthophorine bees, little carpenter bees (Ceratina spp.), cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), and green metallic bees (Agapostemon spp.) Butterflies include American Painted Lady, Sulfur, and Swallowtail butterflies, Rabbits, deer, and groundhogs will eat the foliage.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Hummingbirds; Small Mammals; Songbirds; Specialized Bees
Meskwaki Indians used an infusion of leaves to cure and purify the blood, and as a wash for eczema. They also used a compound containing the root used as a 'love medicine'.