Common Name: Jacob’s Ladder

Scientific Name: Polemonium reptans

Family: Polemoniaceae

Habitat: Woodlands, Near Streams, Ravines

Native: Yes

Life Cycle: Perennial, Ephemeral

Bloom Time: Spring

Height: Up to 3 feet

Light: Partial shade to full sun

Soil: Moist, Well drained

Pollinators: Bees

Description: Jacob’s Ladder, which is named after its small, ladder-like leaflets, is a native spring ephemeral which prefers to grow in woodlands, ravines, or near streams in moist, well drained soil and partly shady conditions. Jacob’s Ladder can spread by rhizomes, but will easily self-seed in ideal conditions. This photo of Jacob’s Ladder was taken in the Woodland Garden at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve.