Polemonium

{{Short description|Genus of plants}} {{About|the plant species|the ancient city|Fatsa}} {{Automatic taxobox |image=Polemonium reptans 2009.jpg |image_caption=''[[Polemonium reptans]]'' |taxon=Polemonium |authority=[[Carl von Linné|L.]] |type_species=''[[Polemonium caeruleum]]'' |type_species_authority=L. }}

'''''Polemonium''''', commonly called '''Jacob's ladders''' or '''Jacob's-ladders''' (the name derived from the [[Jacob's Ladder|Biblical story]]), is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of [[flowering plant]]s in the family [[Polemoniaceae]], native to cool [[temperate climate|temperate]] to [[arctic climate|arctic]] regions of the [[Northern Hemisphere]].{{r|powo}}{{r|tpl}} One species, ''[[Polemonium micranthum]]'', also occurs in the southern [[Andes]] in [[South America]]. 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]]''.{{r|powo689911-1}}

''Polemonium'' are [[perennial plant]]s (rarely [[annual plant]]s) growing 10–120 cm tall with bright green [[leaf|leaves]] divided into lance-shaped [[leaflet (botany)|leaflets]]. They produce blue (rarely white or pink) [[flower]]s in the spring and summer.

Some species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including ''[[Coleophora|Coleophora polemoniella]]''.

==Species== [[File:Polemonium caeruleum20170605 8001.jpg|thumb|''[[Polemonium caeruleum]]'']] [[File:Polemonium californicum 0752.JPG|thumb|''[[Polemonium californicum]]'']] {{As of|April 2020}} [[Kew]]'s [[Plants of the World Online]] accepts 37 species.{{r|powo}} Many are locally known simply as "Jacob's ladder".{{r|fotcr2017}}{{r|jepson}}{{r|miflora}}{{r|usda}}

*''[[Polemonium acutiflorum]]'' – tall Jacob's ladder{{r|usdaacut}}{{r|iucnacut}} *''[[Polemonium boreale]]'' {{small|Adams}} – northern Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium brandegeei]]'' {{small|(A.Gray) Greene}} – Brandegee's Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium caeruleum]]'' {{small|L.}} – Jacob's ladder (the original plant to bear this name); charity *''[[Polemonium californicum]]'' {{small|Eastw.}} – showy Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium campanulatum]]'' {{small|(Th.Fr.) Th.Fr.}} *''[[Polemonium carneum]]'' {{small|A.Gray}} – royal Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium caucasicum]]'' {{small|N.Busch}} *''[[Polemonium chartaceum]]'' {{small|H.Mason}} – Mason's Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium chinense]]'' {{small|(Brand) Brand}} *''[[Polemonium confertum]]'' – Rocky Mountain Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium eddyense]]'' {{small|Stubbs}} – Mount Eddy Jacob's-ladder *''[[Polemonium elegans]]'' {{small|Greene}} – elegant Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium elusum]]'' {{small|J.J.Irwin & R.L.Hartm.}} – elusive Jacob's-ladder *''[[Polemonium eximium]]'' {{small|Greene}} – sky pilot *''[[Polemonium foliosissimum]]'' {{small|A.Gray}} – towering Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium glabrum]]'' {{small|J.F.Davidson}} *''[[Polemonium grandiflorum]]'' {{small|Benth.}} *''[[Polemonium hingganicum]]'' {{small|(P.H.Huang & S.Y.Li) S.Y.Li & K.T.Adair}} *''[[Polemonium kiushianum]]'' {{small|Kitam.}} *''[[Polemonium majus]]'' {{small|Tolm.}} *''[[Polemonium mexicanum]]'' {{small|Cerv. ex Lag.}} *''[[Polemonium micranthum]]'' {{small|Benth.}} – annual polemonium *''[[Polemonium nevadense]]'' {{small|Wherry}} – Nevada Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium occidentale]]'' {{small|Greene}} – western Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium pauciflorum]]'' {{small|S.Watson}} – few-flower Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium pectinatum]]'' {{small|Greene}} – Washington Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium pulchellum]]'' {{small|Bunge}} *''[[Polemonium pulcherrimum]]'' {{small|Hook.}} – beautiful Jacob's ladder *''[[Polemonium reptans]]'' {{small|L.}} – Jacob's ladder, Greek valerian *''[[Polemonium sachalinense]]'' {{small|Vorosch.}} *''[[Polemonium schizanthum]]'' {{small|Klokov}} *''[[Polemonium schmidtii]]'' {{small|Klokov}} *[[Polemonium × speciosum|''Polemonium'' × ''speciosum'']] {{small|Rydb.}} *''[[Polemonium sumushanense]]'' {{small|G.H.Liu & Y.Q.Ma}} *''[[Polemonium vanbruntiae]]'' {{small|Britton}} – Vanbrunt's Jacob's ladder *[[Polemonium × victoris|''Polemonium'' × ''victoris'']] {{small|Klokov}} *''[[Polemonium vilosissimum]]'' {{small|(Hultén) D.F.Murray & Elven}} *''[[Polemonium villosum]]'' {{small|Rudolph ex Georgi}} *''[[Polemonium viscosum]]'' {{small|Nutt.}} – sticky polemonium *''[[Polemonium yezoense]]'' {{small|(Miyabe & Kudô) Kitam.}}

==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=fotcr2017>{{cite book |last1=Wilhelm |first1=Gerould |last2=Rericha |first2=Laura |date=2017 |title=Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis |publisher=Indiana Academy of Sciences}}</ref> <ref name=jepson>[https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=8876 Jepson Flora of California: ''Polemonium'']</ref> <ref name=miflora>{{Michigan Flora |genus=''Polemonium'' |species=''reptans'' |id=2263 |access-date=8 April 2020}}</ref> <ref name=powo>{{cite web |title=''Polemonium caeruleum'' L. |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:689911-1#synonyms |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |access-date=8 April 2020}}</ref> <ref name=powo689911-1>{{cite web |title=''Polemonium'' L. |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:329833-2 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=[[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |access-date=8 April 2020}}</ref> <ref name=tpl>[http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/search?q=Polemonium Kew Plant List of Polemonium species, synonyms, unaccepted names]</ref> <ref name=usda>{{PLANTS |id=CPOLEM |taxon=Polemonium |access-date=8 April 2020}}</ref> <ref name=iucnacut>Maiz-Tome, L. 2016. Polemonium acutiflorum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T64321387A67730462. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T64321387A67730462.en. Downloaded on 30 March 2020.</ref> <ref name=usdaacut>{{PLANTS|id=POAC|taxon=Polemonium acutiflorum|access-date=9 October 2015}}</ref> }}

[[Category:Polemonium| ]] [[Category:Polemoniaceae genera]]