Plant Characteristics

Plant Preference/Growing Conditions:

Grows best in moderate to complete shade in well-drained and somewhat acidic soil with moderate to high moisture. Usually found in forested areas or places with a high concentration of foliage. 

Growth Habit/Description:

A herbaceous blooming perennial that can grow up to 10-18 inches tall, with pinnate leaves (25 cm) that grow oblong leaflets (4 cm). Has a spread of 10-12 inches, with a habit of clumping/mounding. Leaves are green with a tinge of pink that fades in the warmer seasons. Flowers are small and tubular with a five petal bell pattern, found in clustered formations that bloom in late spring, in colors of blue, purple, or almost white. After flowering, Jacob's Ladder produces elongated capsules containing small seeds. 

Bloom Season:

Jacob's Ladder is a perennial that blooms purple blossoms in May and will last until the first frost. 

Fall and/or Winter Interest?

Yes. Leaves have a pink tinge during fall months, and flowers don't give way to fruiting until the first frost. 

Host Plant for Caterpillars?

Yes. Jacob's Ladder provides a food source for various caterpillars such as the meadow-rue borer Papaipema unimoda.

Other Known Ecological Value?

Yes. It's flowers are pollinated by and attract bumblebees, digger bees, halictid bees, mason bees, miner bees, small carpenter bees, honey bees, butterflies, moths, bee flies, syrphid flies, and beetles. It's dependent species are the Andrena polemonii and it's oligolectic bee species, Coleophora polemoniella.

Origin of Name:  It's leaf formation is akin to that of a ladder, and in referral to a ladder seen in the biblical Jacob's dreams. 

Related Plant Species:  Polemonium vanbruntiae is a variant of Jacob's Ladder in similar style, however is far more rare, endangered in it's native places by invasive plants, and is primarily found in the northeastern part of the United States. It can be differentiated by it's compound leaf pattern and native area. 

Use For Food/Medicine:

Various native tribes have previously used it for medicinal properties in reducing symptoms like fever and swelling, though its use varies by tribes and is currently unverified. While non-toxic, it serves as a deer deterrent. 

“Jacob’s Ladder.” Grow Native!, Missouri Prarie Foundation, 3 June 2025, grownative.org/native_plants/jacobs-ladder/.

“Jacob’s Ladder.” Polemonium Reptans | Prairie Nursery, www.prairienursery.com/jacob-s-ladder-polemonium-reptans.html. Accessed Sept. 2025.

(https://www.nvknurseries.com), NVK Nurseries. “Polemonium Reptans ‘Stairway to Heaven.’” NVK Nurseries, www.nvknurseries.com/plant/Polemonium-reptans-Stairway-to-Heaven. Accessed Sept. 2025.

“U.S. Forest Service.” Forest Service Shield, USDA, www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/Polemonium_reptans.shtml. Accessed Sept. 2025.

USDA Plants Database, plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PORE2/subordinate-taxa. Accessed Sept. 2025.