Sky Pilot (2)
Sky Pilots are tall, showy plants in the usually
low-growing environment above tree-line. They grow up to 10" tall with finely
divided leaves pointing upward, ladder-like. They have five overlapping
petals around five stamens with golden anthers. I have photographed them in
multiple locations in Colorado without knowing there was more than one Sky
Pilot and have made the identifications here based on
the discussions at
SWColoradoWildflowers.com and
iNaturalist.org,
and the maps of collection data at
SEINet.
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Rocky Mountain Jacob's Ladder
Polemonium confertum
Family:
Phlox (Polemoniaceae)
AKA:
Rocky Mountains Sky Pilot, Dense Sky
Pilot
Photo taken on:
July 12, 2008
Location:
South Baldy, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Alpine
Habitat:
Scree slopes, talus
Leaves are larger and less crowded than P. viscosum. Flowers are
light blue. Stamens are bright orange. The shape of the flower-head is
round. It is endemic to Colorado but is not rare.
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Sticky Sky Pilot
Polemonium viscosum
Family:
Phlox (Polemoniaceae)
AKA:
Sticky Jacob's Ladder, Skunk Polemonium
Photo taken on:
July 16, 2019
Location:
Cumberland Pass, CO
Life Zones:
Alpine
Habitat:
Tundra, high meadows
Flowers are deep blue. Stamens are yellow. The
shape of the flower-head is fan-shaped. The plant has an odor which some
find offensive, hence the skunk
in the common name.
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Blue/Purple Round Clusters