Polemonium_pectinatum

<i>Polemonium pectinatum</i>

Polemonium pectinatum

Species of flowering plant

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]

Quick Facts Polemonium pectinatum, Conservation status ...

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

  1. [1]
    Polemonium pectinatum. The Nature Conservancy.
  2. [2]
    Polemonium pectinatum. Washington Burke Museum.
  3. [3]
    Polemonium pectinatum. Center for Plant Conservation.
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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Polemonium_pectinatum, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.