Page authors: Ben Legler, David Giblin
Polemonium californicum
low Jacob's-ladder
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Idaho and Montana.

Habitat: Shaded or moist places from middle elevations to the subalpine.

Flowers: May-August

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bumblebees

Description:
General:

Lax, glandular perennial up to 5 dm. tall, usually with several stems from a branched base.

Leaves:

Leaves alternate, pinnately compound, the basal leaves well-developed; leaflets 8-20, elliptic and pointed, 5-15 mm. long and 1-3.5 mm. wide.

Flowers:

Inflorescence few- to several-flowered, somewhat congested; calyx herbaceous, 4-6 mm. long, the 5 lobes pointed, up to twice as long as the tube; corolla blue with a yellow eye, broadly bell-shaped, 7-13 mm. long and wide, the 5 lobes longer than the tube; style 3-parted; ovary superior.

Fruits:

Capsule 3-celled.

Accepted Name:
Polemonium californicum Eastw.
Publication: Bot. Gaz. 37(6): 437-438. 1904.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Polemonium columbianum Rydb.
Polemonium pulcherrimum Hook. ssp. tricolor (Eastw.) Brand
Polemonium pulcherrimum Hook. var. calycinum (Eastw.) Brand [HC, IMF4]
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Polemonium californicum in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

WA Flora Checklist: Polemonium californicum checklist entry.

OregonFlora: Polemonium californicum information.

E-Flora BC: Polemonium californicum atlas page.

CalPhotos: Polemonium californicum photos.

USDA Plants: Polemonium californicum information.

82 photographs:
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