Phlox dolichantha
Encyclopedia
Phlox dolichantha is a species of phlox
known by the common name Big Bear Valley phlox. It is endemic to San Bernardino County, California
, where it is limited to the area around Big Bear
in the San Bernardino Mountains
. It grows in forests and the unique local pebble plain habitat. It occurs at elevations over 2000 meters. It is an erect, branching perennial
herb
growing up to 30 centimeters tall. The linear or narrowly lance-shaped leaves are 2 to 5 centimeters long and are oppositely arranged on the slender stems. The inflorescence
is made up of one or more showy flowers at the tip of the stem. Each flower has a very slender tubular throat over 4 centimeters long and a flat, five-lobed corolla up to 2.5 centimeters wide. The flower is white to pale or deep pink in color.
The flowers are pollinated
by a variety of insects including the hawkmoth Hyles lineata
and flies of the Anthomyia
and Tachypeza genera.
Phlox
Phlox is a genus of 67 species of perennial and annual plants found mostly in North America in diverse habitats from alpine tundra to open woodland and prairie. Some flower in spring, others in summer and autumn....
known by the common name Big Bear Valley phlox. It is endemic to San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, where it is limited to the area around Big Bear
Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. At a surface elevation of , it has an east-west length of approximately 7 miles and is approximately 2.5 miles at its widest measurement, though the lake's width mostly averages a...
in the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...
. It grows in forests and the unique local pebble plain habitat. It occurs at elevations over 2000 meters. It is an erect, branching perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
herb
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
growing up to 30 centimeters tall. The linear or narrowly lance-shaped leaves are 2 to 5 centimeters long and are oppositely arranged on the slender stems. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is made up of one or more showy flowers at the tip of the stem. Each flower has a very slender tubular throat over 4 centimeters long and a flat, five-lobed corolla up to 2.5 centimeters wide. The flower is white to pale or deep pink in color.
The flowers are pollinated
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
by a variety of insects including the hawkmoth Hyles lineata
Hyles lineata
The White-lined sphinx is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It lives from Central America, through the United States and into parts of Canada.-Description:...
and flies of the Anthomyia
Anthomyia
Anthomyia is a genus of fly in the family Anthomyiidae.-Species:*A. bazini Séguy, 1929*A. cannabina *A. canningsi Griffiths, 2001*A. confusanea Michelsen in Michelsen & Báez, 1985*A. facialis...
and Tachypeza genera.