Phlox

4/28/06


4/28/06

4/28/06


4/28/06

4/28/06

Repost from April of last year, as I am beging to see them sprout with great force along the hiway from Mayflower to Conway.

I am not sure which of the many varieties of Phlox these are, however a quick photo comparison suggests "Blue Phlox" - which is odd, given that these (including the pictures of known Blue Phlox) are all purple. These are wild variety, however, I also see phlox of various hues as a vital part of Arkansas landscape gardens.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlox

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlox_divaricata

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ericales
Family: Polemoniaceae
Genus: Phlox
Species: P. divaricata

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Of note, the flower has a 5 "lobed" Corolla. The lobes are not the same a petals, in that -- if you look at the flower from the back, all five lobes are part of the same funnel shaped "mono-bloom"

Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua

(Recycle)

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Altingiaceae
Genus: Liquidambar
Species: L. styraciflua

Liquidambar styraciflua

The most obvious attribute of the Sweetgum, is a leaf that looks like star -- However, the stars range from kind of blocky to deeply lobed. The other attribute, known quickly by anyone who has an American Sweetgum in his yard, is the stickery "mine-ball" seed" - a great weapon or a nuisance under the heal.

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As a camera toting teenager, I called them "Kix ball trees" - with Kix referencing the cereal, which in turn referenced the fact that a Sweetgum in fall can showcase almost any color...all at once, and spangled throughout the form.

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In the wild, Sweet gum tend to grow thin and tall, and will along the roadside, take on the form of a tall colonnade. (they lack the bulk of either oak or maple)

for more info see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sweetgum

and for an odd gum ball use