Microsteris gracilis, June 2, 2020
Common & scientific name
Slender phlox, Microsteris gracilis
Family
Phlox, Polemoniaceae
Location
Difficult Trail, 8,000’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Even easier to miss than Oregon boxwood, this tiny wildflower is often lost among other flowers and grasses in dry meadows and forest openings. It has 5 petals, its leaves and stem are glandular and hairy, and it rarely grows more than a few inches high. It is frequently found growing beside another tiny beauty, Blue-eyed Mary, both of which will reward the hiker who is willing to stop and get low.