Polemonium eximium
Showy sky pilot
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Family: Polemoniaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Polemonium eximium (Showy sky pilot) is a native California herb in the Polemoniaceae family.
Showy sky pilot is a California native perennial found in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains on rocky outcrops and talus slopes at elevations of 3,000 to 4,200 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces striking blue to purple flowers in dense heads with a funnel-shaped corolla 9 to 15 millimeters in diameter. Growing with clustered, erect stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall and covered in glandular hairs, it forms dense clumps from a rhizomatous base. Its basal leaves are 4 to 13 centimeters long with 20 to 35 small leaflets that are deeply 3 to 5-lobed, creating a delicate, finely divided foliage. The compact clusters of blue-purple flowers and its high-elevation alpine habitat make this sky pilot a distinctive alpine wildflower.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 0 sympatric species; geographically isolated
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky outcrops, talus
Elevation: 3000-4200 m
California counties: Inyo, Fresno, Tulare, Tuolumne, Mono, Mariposa, Madera
Bloom period
Polemonium eximium blooms Jun-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Phlox: Polemonium (Jacob's ladder) has pinnately compound leaves with many discrete leaflets arranged ladder-like along the rachis; Phlox has simple, entire, usually opposite leaves.; vs Gilia: Polemonium bears true separate leaflets; Gilia leaves are pinnately dissected into narrow lobes rather than divided into distinct leaflets.; vs Ipomopsis: Polemonium leaflets are broad and entire; Ipomopsis leaves are finely cut into thread-like segments.; vs Collomia: Polemonium has compound leaves and open branched cymes; Collomia has entire to lobed leaves and flowers clustered among leafy bracts.; vs Vicia: Polemonium leaves lack tendrils and its flowers are radially symmetric bells or funnels; vetch leaves end in tendrils and bear bilateral pea flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Polemonium eximium native to California?
Yes. Polemonium eximium is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Polemonium eximium bloom?
Polemonium eximium blooms Jun-Aug.
Where in California does Polemonium eximium grow?
Polemonium eximium occurs in Inyo, Fresno, Tulare, Tuolumne, Mono, Mariposa, Madera, at elevations of 3000-4200 m.
What plant family does Polemonium eximium belong to?
Polemonium eximium is in the Polemoniaceae family, genus Polemonium.
What habitat does Polemonium eximium grow in?
Polemonium eximium grows in Rocky outcrops, talus.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.