western Jacob's-ladder
Polemonium occidentale Greene
Polemonium occidentale, known as western Jacob's-ladder, is a flowering plant in the Polemoniaceae family. It is native to western North America, from British Columbia to California and as far south as New Mexico. The species is divided into two subspecies: the widespread ssp. occidentale and the rare ssp. lacustre, found only in white cedar swamps in three counties of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Description
Polemonium occidentale is found in a range that includes Alberta, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The common subspecies, ssp. occidentale, grows in moist habitats such as meadows and woodlands across western North America. The rarer ssp. lacustre is restricted to specific wetland environments in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The species was first described by Greene in 1890.
Other common names
western Jacob's-ladderwestern polemonium
Distribution
Alberta · British Columbia · California · Colorado · Idaho · Minnesota · Montana · Nevada · New Mexico · Oregon · Utah · Washington · Wisconsin · Wyoming
Synonyms
Polemonium caeruleum var. occidentalePolemonium caeruleum subsp. occidentalePolemonium acutiflorum subsp. occidentalePolemonium occidentale subsp. typicum