Creeping Jacob’s-ladder
Polemonium reptans
- Plant Type
- Forb/herb (Deciduous)
- Landscape Layer
- Herbaceous
- Sun
- ☀️ Full Sun, ⛅ Part Sun, ☁️ Shade
- Moisture
- 💧 Regular
- Soil
- Clay, Loam, Sand, Organic / Peat, Calcareous
- Bloom
- April, May, June
- Sociability
- S3 – Small colonies
Pollinator Value
- 🐛 Larval Host
- Papaipema unimoda (Noctuidae), Scrobipalpula polemoniella (Gelechiidae), Coleophora polemoniella (Coleophoridae)
S14 3 Nearctic host records; S10 confirms leaf-mining by Coleophora and Scrobipalpula
- 🐝 Specialist Bee Host
- Andrena (Euandrena) polemonii
S17 specialist on Polemonium, range DE-WV, Rare; S10 confirmed oligolege of Polemonium spp.
Ecology & Conservation
- Proximity Score
- 1
- Native Status
- ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ❌ ON
- Closest Direction
- S
- CEC Eco-Regions
- 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.1 – Mixed Wood Plains, 8.1.1 – Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands
- Rarity Notes
- Not ranked (SNA) in both Ontario and Quebec as the species is considered introduced (VASCAN). Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Globally secure (G5) per NatureServe. Native range extends from New York to Minnesota, south to Georgia and Arkansas.
S22 G5, SNA in ON/QC; S1 introduced in ON+QC; S26 not SARA-listed; S29 native range
- Rarity Ranks
- QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON SNA – Not Applicable
- Migration
- Stable
- Ecological Context
- A spring-blooming understory forb of rich, moist deciduous woodlands in eastern North America. Found along stream banks, shaded lower slopes, and bases of bluffs in mesic forests with well-developed canopy cover. In Michigan, associated with wet prairies, fens, and tamarack swamps. Considered introduced in both Ontario and Quebec by VASCAN, with nearest native populations in the U.S. Great Lakes region.
S10 deciduous woodlands, stream banks; S4 moist deciduous woods; S7 wet prairies, fens, tamarack swamps in southern Michigan; S1 introduced in ON and QC
Permaculture & Companion Planting
Medicinal Properties ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
Click here for more info →
ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
Click here for more info →- Category
- Alterative, Astringent, Diaphoretic, Expectorant, Pectoral, Cathartic, Diuretic
S29 alterative, astringent, diaphoretic, expectorant, pectoral; S28 Meskwaki cathartic, diuretic
- Notes
- Meskwaki people used compound containing the root as a powerful physic (cathartic) and as a powerful urinary (diuretic). In Western herbalism, the dried roots were used as an alterative, astringent, diaphoretic, expectorant, and pectoral remedy for coughs, colds, bronchitis, laryngitis, tuberculosis, and feverish or inflammatory diseases including skin conditions. Root harvested in autumn and dried for later use. Rarely used in modern herbalism.
S28 Meskwaki cathartic+diuretic from root compound; S29 detailed medicinal properties and applications
Edibility & Foraging ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
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ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
Click here for more info →❌ Not Edible
- Foraging Notes
- No documented edible uses. PFAF assigns an edibility rating of 0/5. Moerman records no food uses among Indigenous peoples. A reader comment on PFAF notes that flowers of Polemonium species are added to salads at the UK National Plant Collection, but this is not a traditional or widely documented practice.
Seed Source
- Akène