Phlox divaricata, the wild blue phlox, woodland phlox, or wild sweet william, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polemoniaceae, native to forests and fields in North America. Cultivated varieties can have blue, lavender and white flowers.
Phlox divaricata, commonly called woodland phlox, is a spreading, native wildflower which forms mats of foliage with stems typically reaching 12-15" tall. As the common name suggests, this is a woodland species which occurs in rich woods, fields and along streams. Loose clusters of slightly fragrant, tubular, lilac to rose to blue flowers (to 1.5" wide) with five, flat, notched, petal-like lobes that appear at the stem tips in spring. Stems are both hairy and sticky. Lance-shaped to elliptic leaves (to 2" long). Can form large colonies over time as leafy shoots spread along the ground rooting at the nodes. The genus name is derived from the Greek word phlox meaning flame in reference to the intense flower colors of some varieties. Specific epithet means spreading.
