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Glite Dictionary
Polemonium caeruleum

Polemonium caeruleum

9.9
A plant that lives for several years with feather-like leaves and blue or white flowers called Jacob's ladder
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Polemonium caeruleum
  • She planted Polemonium caeruleum beside the roses for a burst of blue color.

Examples

  • She admired the delicate pinnate leaves of Polemonium caeruleum as it blossomed in the sunlight.

  • The garden was filled with blooming Polemonium caeruleum during spring.

  • Botanists studied the medicinal properties of Polemonium caeruleum.

  • The Polemonium caeruleum blooms beautifully in spring.

  • I planted several Polemonium caeruleums in my garden.

  • In the garden, the bright blue flowers of Polemonium caeruleum attract many bees.

  • During the spring, Polemonium caeruleum adds vibrant color to the landscape with its stunning blooms.

Synonyms

Jacob's ladder
vsPolemonium caeruleum
  • Specialized
9.0

A European plant with leaves of many small leaflets and blue or white flowers

is the formal scientific botanical name for the same plant

Surface Forms

Polemonium caeruleum singular
Polemonium caeruleums plural

Morphology

Polemonium + caeruleum

This is a scientific binomial in Latin where the constituents are a genus name and a Latin epithet; these are proper/specialist labels rather than compositional English words, and 'caeruleum' is not a common English word. A B1 learner who knows everyday English vocabulary would not be able to derive 'a perennial European plant (Jacob's ladder)' from these parts, so the expression functions as an arbitrary label rather than a transparent compound.

Etymology

Polemonium caeruleum may get its name from how the plant looks: the leaves grow in rows like ladder steps, so people called it 'Jacob's ladder'. The word caeruleum points to the plant's bright 'blue' flowers, so the name helps you picture a ladder of blue blooms.