Nearctica - Eastern Wildflowers - Polemoniacee - Greek Valerian (Polemonium reptans)

Greek Valerian

(Polemonium reptans)

Color Photograph: NRCS Plants Database, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

Greek Valerian (Polemonium reptans L.)

Identification: Flowers violet, bell-shaped, with 5 petals. Stamens neither long, nor protruding from the bell of the flower. Flowers arranged in small clusters from the top of the plant or lateral branches. Leaves divided into 3 or 4 pairs of opposite leaflets. Plant 8 to 15 inches in height.

Distribution: Minnesota in the west to southern New England in the east, southward to Georgia and Oklahoma.

Habitat: Greek Valerian is found in wet woods or bottomlands.

Flowering period: April to June.

Similar Species: Greek Valerian is similar to Jacob's Ladder. Jacob's Ladder is a larger species with a larger number of leaflets per leaf. The stamens are long and protrude beyond the petals of the flower.