spreading Jacob’s ladder
(Polemonium reptans var. reptans)
Conservation • Wetland • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
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Description |
Spreading Jacob’s ladder, also called Greek valerian, is an 8″ to 20″ tall, mostly erect, perennial forb that rises on a solitary stem or several loosely clustered or tufted stems from a taproot. The stems are erect or sprawling, slender, hollow, green or reddish, usually hairless, and branching toward the top. Basal leaves are on long leaf stalks. Stem leaves are alternate. Lower stem leaves are on short leaf stalks, upper stem leaves are stalkless. The principal leaves are pinnately divided into 7 to 17 leaflets. The leaflets are stalkless, almost oppositely arranged, elliptic to egg-shaped, ¾″ to 1½″ long, and about ½″ wide. The upper surface is dull green and hairless. The lower surface is silvery-green and hairless. They have 3 prominent veins. The margins are untoothed. The inflorescences are few-flowered branching clusters at the end of stems and branches and rising from the upper leaf axils. The cluster stalks (peduncles) are hairless and reddish green and are covered with short, appressed hairs. The flowers are bell-shaped, ½″ to ⅝″ long, and about ½″ wide. They are on 3 ⁄16″ to ¼″ long stalks, the stalks at least as long as the sepals. There are 5 green sepals, 5 blue petals, and 5 stamens. The fruit is a rounded, 3-chambered capsule with 1 to 10 seeds per chamber. |
Height |
8″ to 20″ |
Flower Color |
Blue |
Similar Species |
Western Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium occidentale ssp. lacustre) flowers in the summer, not the spring. The flower stalks are shorter than the sepals. In Minnesota it is found only in St. Louis and Itasca Counties. |
Habitat |
Moist to moderate moisture. Meadows, woods. Full sun to shade. |
Ecology |
Flowering |
May to June |
Pests and Diseases |
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Use |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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| 4/18/2024 | ||
Nativity |
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Native |
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Occurrence |
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Taxonomy |
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Kingdom |
Plantae (green algae and land plants) |
Subkingdom |
Viridiplantae (green plants) |
Infrakingdom |
Streptophyta (land plants and green algae) |
Superdivision |
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Division |
Tracheophyta (vascular plants) |
Subdivision |
Spermatophytina (seed plants) |
Class |
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Superorder |
Asteranae |
Order |
Ericales (heathers, balsams, primroses, and allies) |
Family |
Polemoniaceae (phlox) |
Subfamily |
Polemonioideae |
Genus |
Polemonium (Jacob’s ladders) |
Species |
Polemonium reptans (spreading Jacob’s ladder) |
Subordinate Taxa |
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Synonyms |
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Common Names |
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creeping polemonium Greek valerian Jacob’s ladder spreading Jacob’s ladder |
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Glossary
Axil
The upper angle where the leaf stalk meets the stem.
Peduncle
The stalk of a single flower or flower cluster.
Pinnate
On a compound leaf, having the leaflets arranged on opposite sides of a common stalk. On a bryophyte, having branches evenly arranged on opposite sides of a stem.
Sepal
An outer floral leaf, usually green but sometimes colored, at the base of a flower.
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Kirk Nelson |
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| Greek Valerian - Jacob's Ladder |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Flowers |
Leaves | |
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| Inflorescence |
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Slideshows |
Polemonium reptans (Greek Valerian) |
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Other Videos |
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Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium reptans) and Midland Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia) |
About
Uploaded on Jun 4, 2010 http://www.priairemoon.com - It's early May at Prairie Moon Nursery and Jacob's Ladder and Midland Shooting Star are in bloom! |
Visitor Sightings |
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| Kirk Nelson 5/23/2020 |
Location: Lebanon Hills Regional Park |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Created: Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |