What is "polemonium"

Polemonium \Pol`e*mo"ni*um\ n. [NL., fr. Gr.? a kind of plant.] (Bot.) A genus of gamopetalous perennial herbs, including the Jacob's ladder and the Greek valerian.

n. Any of the genus ''Polemonium'' of gamopetalous perennial herbs.

n. any plant of the genus Polemonium; most are low-growing often foul-smelling plants of temperate to arctic regions

Polemonium, commonly called Jacob's ladder, is a genus of between 25 and 40 species of flowering plants in the family Polemoniaceae, native to cool temperate to arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. One species also occurs in the southern Andes in South America. Many of the species grow at high altitudes in mountains. Most of the uncertainty in the number of species relates to those in Eurasia, many of which have been synonymized with P. caeruleum in the past.

They are perennial plants (rarely annual plants) growing 10–120 cm tall with bright green leaves divided into lance-shaped leaflets, and produce blue (rarely white or pink) flowers in the spring and summer.

Polemonium species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora polemoniella.

• Polemonium acutiflorum Tall Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium boreale Northern Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium brandegeei Brandegee's Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium caeruleum Jacob's Ladder (the original plant to bear this name); Charity
• Polemonium californicum Showy Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium carneum Royal Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium caucasicum
• Polemonium chartaceum Mason's Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium chinense
• Polemonium confertum Rocky Mountain Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium delicatum
• Polemonium eddyense
• Polemonium elegans Elegant Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium eximium Sky Pilot
• Polemonium foliosissimum Towering Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium grandiflorum
• Polemonium mexicanum
• Polemonium micranthum Annual Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium nevadense Nevada Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium occidentale Western Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium pauciflorum Few-flower Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium pectinatum Washington Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium pulchellum
• Polemonium pulcherrimum Beautiful Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium reptans Greek Valerian
• Polemonium sumushanense
• Polemonium vanbruntiae Van Brunt's Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium vilosissimum
• Polemonium viscosum Sticky Jacob's Ladder
• Polemonium yezoense