Polemonium pectinatum
Polemonium pectinatum is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names Washington Jacob's-ladder and Washington polemonium. It is endemic to the state of Washington in the United States, where it occurs in the Columbia Basin, including the Channeled Scablands and the Palouse.[1]
Polemonium pectinatum | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Polemoniaceae |
Genus: | Polemonium |
Species: | P. pectinatum |
Binomial name | |
Polemonium pectinatum | |
Description
This perennial herb grows from a taproot, producing a cluster of stems up to 80 centimeters tall. The alternately arranged leaves are each made up of several linear-shaped leaflets up to 5 centimeters long. The hairy, glandular inflorescence is an open array of white or lavender flowers with five corolla lobes.[1][2] Flowering occurs in May through July.[1]
Species
This species occurs in riparian habitat and seasonally moist depressions and bottomlands.[1][2] Other species in the habitat may include Crataegus douglasii, Amelanchier alnifolia, Elymus cinereus, Rosa woodsii, and Ribes aureum.[3]
There are about 26 occurrences of this species, divided into 6 or 7 populations. The plant's total distribution covers less than 2500 acres.[1]
Threats to the species include overgrazing, though it can tolerate some grazing activity, being adapted to disturbance. Land use conversion is a threat, for example, the conversion of the Palouse grasslands to agriculture. Other threats include alterations in hydrology, herbicides, and introduced species.[1]
References
- Polemonium pectinatum. The Nature Conservancy.
- Polemonium pectinatum. Washington Burke Museum.
- Polemonium pectinatum. Center for Plant Conservation.