Phlox alyssifolia
 
Blue Phlox

Flower Cut Open

Hole in the Wall, North of Big Muddy Lake
14-May-2019

The stamens arise at different levels from the inner surface of the corolla tube.  There are three stigmas but they cannot be distinguished from each other in this photo.

Alyssifolia: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this species. 

stem decumbent or tufted; NOT [stem erect]

leaves linear to oblong; NOT [leaves awl-shaped]

leaves 2-4 mm wide; NOT [leaves less than 2 mm wide]

leaves mostly without cobwebby hairs but ciliate on margins; NOT [leaves with cobwebby hairs]

tube of corolla much longer than calyx; NOT [tube of corolla slightly longer than calyx]

tube of corolla more than 12 mm long

 

Phlox: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus. 

plants perennial; NOT [plants annual]

plants forming dense tufts or mats

leaves mostly opposite

leaves simple, entire


Polemoniaceae: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora leading to this family. 

herbs; NOT [shrubs or trees]

plants green or with some chlorophyll; NOT [plants parasitic or saprophytic, without chlorophyll]

plants without milky juice

plants not twining

corolla regular; NOT [corolla irregular]

stamens alternating with corolla lobes, or twice their number; NOT [stamens directly in front of corolla lobes]

stamens 4 or 5; NOT [stamens 8 or 10]

style terminal; NOT [style from center of lobes of ovary]

ovary superior; NOT [ovary inferior]

ovary 3-celled; NOT [ovary 2-celled], NOT [ovary 1-celled]

ovary with seeds born on axis in center of cell; NOT [ovary with seeds borne on wall of cell]

fruit a capsule; NOT [fruit a berry], NOT [fruit with 4 nutlets]