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Native Plant Database

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Polemonium occidentale (Western polemonium)
Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Polemonium occidentale Greene

Western polemonium, Western Jacob's ladder

Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family)

USDA Symbol: POOC2

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Western Jacob’s-ladder is a 1 1/2-3 ft. perennial with basal clusters of dark-green, pinnately compound leaves. Its blue, bell-shaped flowers are crowded in an elongate, openly branched cluster.

The leaves resemble long ladders; the genus is known by the common name Jacobs Ladder. Leafy Polemonium (P. foliosissimum), which grows from Idaho and Wyoming south to Arizona and New Mexico, is somewhat leafier than Western Polemonium, the upper leaves not much smaller than those at the base.

 

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf: Dark Green
Fruit:
Size Class: 1-3 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug

Distribution

USA: CA , CO , ID , MN , MT , NV , OR , UT , WA , WI , WY
Native Distribution: B.C. & Alt., s. to CA & CO; mostly e. of the Cascades
Native Habitat: Wet, open conifer forests or meadow edges; 3000-11,000 ft.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: High
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Wet
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Soil Description: Wet to moist, well-drained soils.

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Propagation

Description: Propagate by division or seed.
Seed Collection: Not Available
Seed Treatment: Stratify.
Commercially Avail: yes

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Polemonium occidentale in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Polemonium occidentale in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Polemonium occidentale

Metadata

Record Modified: 2010-04-25
Research By: TWC Staff

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