Phlox
A vivid purple named after the phlox flower, close to magenta and electric purple
Phlox is a bright, striking purple shade named after the flower of the same name. It sits between electric purple and magenta, and was notably popular in psychedelic art of the late 1960s. The name 'phlox' was first used for this colour in English in 1918.
Share on WhatsAppOpen in the lab
- Phlox is named after the purple phlox flower.
- First recorded as a colour name in English in 1918.
- Created by mixing fluorescent magenta and blue pigments.
- Popular in psychedelic art and black light paintings of the 1960s.
- Painted on the Jimi Hendrix Museum in San Francisco.
What colour is Phlox?
Phlox is a vivid, eye-catching shade of purple. It is the colour of the phlox flower, and sits halfway between electric purple and magenta. Its appearance is intense and bright, especially when made with fluorescent pigments. This makes it stand out sharply from softer or darker purples.
Where does Phlox come from?
The name 'phlox' comes from the flower, which has petals of a similar bright purple. The term was first recorded as a colour name in English in 1918. In the late 1960s, artists created a fluorescent version by mixing fluorescent magenta and blue pigments, leading to its association with psychedelic art and culture.
How Phlox is defined
Phlox as a pigment was approximated by mixing fluorescent magenta and fluorescent blue, resulting in a fluorescent purple. This mixture was especially used in black light paintings popular in the psychedelic art scene.
Where Phlox is used
Phlox became popular in the late 1960s, especially among hippies and in psychedelic black light paintings. It was also used to paint the Jimi Hendrix Museum in San Francisco in the 1980s, highlighting its cultural connection to music and counterculture.
Purple around the world
What the purple and violet family means from country to country.
In Holy Week, members of religious brotherhoods walk in procession in robes and pointed hoods, many of them purple, the colour of penance. A purple band also marked the flag of the Second Republic.
Sacred and holyPolitics and protestSource: Holy Week in SpainSuffragettes campaigning for women's votes wore purple, white and green: purple for dignity, white for purity and green for hope.
Politics and protestCourageSource: SuffragetteA child born to a reigning Byzantine emperor was called porphyrogennetos, born in the purple. The birth took place in a palace room lined with purple stone.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Born in the purpleIn the elections of 2005, voters dipped a finger in purple ink to prevent double voting. The stained finger, held up for cameras, became a sign of the vote.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Election inkPurple dye from the murasaki plant was costly and hard to make. In the court rank system set up under Prince Shotoku, the highest officials wore purple caps.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Twelve Level Cap and Rank SystemThe Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon made Tyrian purple from sea snails. The dye was so costly that it became the colour of kings and Roman emperors.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Tyrian purpleShades and relatives of Phlox
Phlox is also known as psychedelic purple. It is positioned between electric purple and magenta, and can be confused with other vivid purples. Its fluorescent versions are particularly bright compared to standard purple shades.
Colours that go with Phlox
Harmonies are worked out from the value #DF00FF. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Phlox
What colour is phlox?
Phlox is a vivid, bright purple that sits between electric purple and magenta. It is known for its intensity and is similar to the colour of the phlox flower.
Where does the name phlox come from?
The name comes from the phlox flower, which has petals of a similar bright purple shade. The colour name was first recorded in English in 1918.
How was phlox used in art?
In the late 1960s, phlox was used in psychedelic black light paintings, created by mixing fluorescent magenta and blue pigments. It was popular among hippies and associated with psychedelic culture.
Is phlox the same as psychedelic purple?
Yes, phlox is also known as psychedelic purple. It refers to the same vivid, fluorescent purple shade popular in the 1960s.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Shades of purple" (the section "Psychedelic purple (phlox)"), written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
More of the purple and violet family
All of purple and violet
#8000FF
Violet
A bluish-purple seen in both flowers and the light spectrumBasic colour
#800080
Purple
A cool colour between red and blue, long linked with royalty and rarityBasic colour · 🇱🇧 Lebanon +5
#C8A2C8
Lilac
A soft purple inspired by the typical colour of lilac flowersNamed shade
#E0B0FF
Mauve
A pale purple named after the mallow flower and once a fashion sensationNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France
#9966CC
Lavender
A pale purple named for the lavender flower, with many subtle variationsNamed shade
#CC8899
Puce
A brownish-purple shade named after the flea and once favoured in French fashionNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France +1
Purple and violet
Cobalt(II) phosphate
A violet pigment and chemical compound used as cobalt violet in artPigment
#614051
Eggplant
A deep purplish colour named after the skin of European eggplantsNamed shade