''Polemonium'', commonly called Jacob's ladders or Jacob's-ladders (the name derived from the Biblical story), is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Polemoniaceae The Polemoniaceae (Jacob's-ladder or phlox family) are a family of flowering plants consisting of about 25 genera with 270–400 species of annuals and perennials native to the Northern Hemisphere and South America, with the center of diversity ...

, native to cool

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

regions of the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

. One species also occurs in the southern

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. Many of the species grow at high altitudes, in mountainous areas. Most of the uncertainty in the number of species relates to those in Eurasia, many of which have been synonymized with ''

Polemonium caeruleum ''Polemonium caeruleum'', known as Jacob's-ladder or Greek valerian, is a hardy perennial flowering plant. The plant produces cup-shaped, blue or white flowers. It is native to temperate regions of Europe. Growth The plant usually reaches tall ...

''. ''Polemonium'' are

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s (rarely

annual plant An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical ...

s) growing 10–120 cm tall with bright green

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

divided into lance-shaped leaflets. They produce blue (rarely white or pink)

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s in the spring and summer. Some species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including '' Coleophora polemoniella''.

Species

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

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accepts 37 species. Many are locally known simply as "Jacob's ladder". *'' Polemonium acutiflorum'' – tall Jacob's ladder *''

Polemonium boreale ''Polemonium boreale'', the northern Jacob's-ladder or boreal Jacobs-ladder, is a plant native to the most of the high arctic. In Greenland it is found only in a small area on the east coast. It is not very common. The whole plant is pubescent, ...

'' – northern Jacob's ladder *'' Polemonium brandegeei'' – Brandegee's Jacob's ladder *''

'' – Jacob's ladder (the original plant to bear this name); charity *'' Polemonium californicum'' – showy Jacob's ladder *'' Polemonium campanulatum'' *'' Polemonium carneum'' – royal Jacob's ladder *'' Polemonium caucasicum'' *'' Polemonium chartaceum'' – Mason's Jacob's ladder *'' Polemonium chinense'' *'' Polemonium confertum'' – Rocky Mountain Jacob's ladder *''

Polemonium eddyense ''Polemonium eddyense'' is a perennial wildflower species in the family Polemoniaceae with the common name Mount Eddy sky pilot. It is endemic to a small area around Mount Eddy, California. Description ''Polemonium eddyense'' is a small herb wit ...

'' – Mount Eddy Jacob's-ladder *'' Polemonium elegans'' – elegant Jacob's ladder *''

Polemonium elusum ''Polemonium'', commonly called Jacob's ladders or Jacob's-ladders (the name derived from the Biblical story), is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae, native to cool temperate to arctic regions o ...

'' – elusive Jacob's-ladder *''

Polemonium eximium ''Polemonium eximium'', the skypilot or showy sky pilot, is a perennial plant in the phlox family (Polemoniaceae) that grows at high altitudes (mostly above ).Sierra Nevada Wildflowers, Elizabeth Horn, Mountain Press Publishing Co., , 1998, p. 12 ...

'' – sky pilot *'' Polemonium foliosissimum'' – towering Jacob's ladder *''

Polemonium glabrum ''Polemonium'', commonly called Jacob's ladders or Jacob's-ladders (the name derived from the Biblical story), is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae, native to cool temperate to arctic regions o ...

'' *''

Polemonium grandiflorum ''Polemonium'', commonly called Jacob's ladders or Jacob's-ladders (the name derived from the Biblical story), is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae, native to cool temperate to arctic regions o ...

'' *''

Polemonium hingganicum ''Polemonium'', commonly called Jacob's ladders or Jacob's-ladders (the name derived from the Biblical story), is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae, native to cool temperate to arctic regions o ...

'' *''

Polemonium kiushianum ''Polemonium'', commonly called Jacob's ladders or Jacob's-ladders (the name derived from the Biblical story), is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae, native to cool temperate to arctic regions o ...

'' *'' Polemonium majus'' *''

Polemonium mexicanum ''Polemonium'', commonly called Jacob's ladders or Jacob's-ladders (the name derived from the Biblical story), is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae, native to cool temperate to arctic regions o ...

'' *''

Polemonium micranthum ''Polemonium micranthum'' is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names annual polemonium or annual Jacob's-ladder. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to North Dakota to California as well ...

'' – annual polemonium *'' Polemonium nevadense'' – Nevada Jacob's ladder *''

Polemonium occidentale ''Polemonium occidentale'' is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names western polemonium and western Jacob's-ladder. There are two subspecies.Schmidt, L. JConservation Assessment for ''Polemonium occidentale'' ...

'' – western Jacob's ladder *'' Polemonium pauciflorum'' – few-flower Jacob's ladder *''

Polemonium pectinatum ''Polemonium pectinatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names Washington Jacob's-ladder and Washington polemonium. It is endemic to the state of Washington in the United States, where it occurs in the C ...

'' – Washington Jacob's ladder *'' Polemonium pulchellum'' *'' Polemonium pulcherrimum'' – beautiful Jacob's ladder *'' Polemonium reptans'' – Jacob's ladder, Greek valerian *'' Polemonium sachalinense'' *'' Polemonium schizanthum'' *''

Polemonium schmidtii ''Polemonium'', commonly called Jacob's ladders or Jacob's-ladders (the name derived from the Biblical story), is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae, native to cool temperate to arctic regions o ...

'' * ''Polemonium'' × ''speciosum'' *'' Polemonium sumushanense'' *'' Polemonium vanbruntiae'' – Vanbrunt's Jacob's ladder * ''Polemonium'' × ''victoris'' *'' Polemonium vilosissimum'' *''

Polemonium villosum ''Polemonium'', commonly called Jacob's ladders or Jacob's-ladders (the name derived from the Biblical story), is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae, native to cool temperate to arctic regions o ...

'' *''

Polemonium viscosum ''Polemonium viscosum'', known as sky pilot, skunkweed, sticky Jacobs-ladder, and sticky polemonium, is a flowering plant in the genus ''Polemonium'' native to western North America from southern British Columbia east to Montana and south to Ariz ...

'' – sticky polemonium *''

Polemonium yezoense ''Polemonium'', commonly called Jacob's ladders or Jacob's-ladders (the name derived from the Biblical story), is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae, native to cool temperate to arctic regions o ...

References

Polemoniaceae genera {{Polemoniaceae-stub