Flower profile
Tall jacob's-ladder
Polemonium acutiflorum
Tall jacob's-ladder is a wildflower. In Alaska it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Alaska
Quick look
Polemonium acutiflorum, known as tall Jacob's-ladder, is a flowering plant in the family Polemoniaceae. It is native to much of the northern hemisphere.
- It belongs to the Polemoniaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Alaska. NatureServe
- In Alaska, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as blue. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as summer. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 3 ft. USDA PLANTS
- iNaturalist has 816 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #52 among the 108 flowers on our Alaska list. iNaturalist
Tall jacob's-ladder gift ideas
Handmade tall jacob's-ladder gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Tall jacob's-ladder art print
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Tall jacob's-ladder greeting card
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Tall jacob's-ladder mug
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Tall jacob's-ladder earrings
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Tall jacob's-ladder embroidery pattern
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Tall jacob's-ladder sticker
When does it bloom?
In Alaska, most flowering sightings come in June–August.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Alaska
- No list Alaska has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alaska ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alaska.
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records tall jacob's-ladder in 1 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alaska.
Alaska counties with USDA records: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Anchorage, Bethel, Bristol Bay, Chugach, Copper River, Denali, Dillingham, Fairbanks North Star, Haines, Juneau, Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Island, Lake and Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna, Nome, North Slope, Northwest Arctic, Southeast Fairbanks, Yakutat, Yukon-Koyukuk.
More Alaska flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile POAC.
- iNaturalist, Polemonium acutiflorum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Polemonium acutiflorum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Alaska: Alaska prohibited and restricted noxious weeds (11 AAC 34.020).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Polemonium acutiflorum (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: steve b via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.