Phlox glaberrima, commonly called smooth phlox and sometimes marsh phlox,"Phlox glaberrima" at North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Retrieved 25 March 2024. is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family. It is native to the Midwestern and Southeastern United States where it is found in moist to wet areas. It can be found in both prairies and forests, where it is an indicator of high quality habitat.IllinoisWildflowers "Smooth Phlox" at Illinois Wildflowers. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
The relationships between Phlox glaberrima, Phlox carolina, and Phlox maculata are particularly unclear. There may be hybridization, or an undescribed third species that resembles an intermediate. the phylogenetic relationships of this group of Phlox were under review,Peter Jeffrey Zale. Germplasm collection, characterization, and enhancement of eastern phlox species. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. 2014. with variations in the "Phlox carolina–glaberrima complex...among the most difficult phlox plants to positively identify".
Botanist Edgar T. Wherry (1955) recognized three subspecies, subsp. glaberrima in its eastern range, subsp. interior of the Plains (the Wabash smooth phlox) and subsp. triflora ( P. triflora, the three-flower smooth phlox) in the South,James H. Locklear. Phlox: A Natural History and Gardener's Guide. Timber Press, 2011. p. 137. but Locklear (2012) only two, incorporating subsp. triflora with subsp. glaberrima."Phlox glaberrima." Alpine Garden Society Plant Encyclopaedia, 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
The glaberrima and interior variations, along with other taxa in the P. carolina–glaberrima complex and P. maculata, are frequently cultivated as ornamental landscape plants, but triflora rarely is. Notable cultivars include P. glaberrima 'Morris Berd',"Phlox glaberrima 'Morris Berd'" at Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder. Retrieved 25 March 2024. P. glaberrima ssp. triflora 'Forever Pink'"Phlox glaberrima var. triflora 'Forever Pink'" at Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder. Retrieved 25 March 2024. and P. glaberrima ssp. triflora 'Triple Play'.Ruth Rogers Clausen and Thomas Christopher. Essential Perennials: The Complete Reference to 2700 Perennials for the Home Garden. Timber Press, 2015. p. 307.
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