(Blue Phlox, Forest Phlox, Woodland Phlox). A delicate perennial phantom of the semi-open woods, the erect stems can be from 1 to 1-1/2 feet high, unbranched and finely hairy. Leaves: Each stem has only a few opposite lance shaped leaves that have fine hair, smooth margins with fine hair and are stalkless, clasping to the stem with flat bases. Stems that do not flower have leaves that are smaller with rounded tips. Flowers: The inflorescence is a loosely branched cluster (a cyme) at the top of the stem. These clusters have glandular hair. The flowers range from light blue to purple, are about 1" across with the 5 flattened lobes joined at their bases to form a tube as long as the flower lobes are wide. The lobes are not notched. The 5 stamens and pistil are inside the tube and do not protrude. Fruit: The mature flowers form an ovoid seed capsule containing several small brown seeds.

Habitat: Wild Blue Phlox grows from fine fibrous roots in moist woods, best with dappled sun. They die back by mid-summer after setting seed. Infertile shoots will remain green longer. The species name, divaricata, is Latin, meaning "spreading". The accepted full species name considered native to Minnesota is Phlox divaricata (L) var. laphamii (A.W. Wood) Wherry.