Polemonium vanbruntiaeis endemic to the central Appalachians and is found in Canada and the United States.
The species does not have an important ecological role, except perhaps for the survival of the flower-feeding insects in those locations where the plant exists.
Polemonium is not a monotypic genus, but only one of its species, P. vanbruntiae, is native to Canada east of Alberta (Scoggan, 1979).
The species is not at risk at the global scale, but it is rare (G3) and sporadic (Lavoie, 1992; Argus and Pryer, 1990; NatureServe, 2001).
The species is protected in Canada, where it was designated as threatened in Canada, in 1994 (COSEWIC, 2000), and threatened in Quebec, in 1998 (Ministère de l’Environnement, 2001; Coursol, 2001). It has been on Canada’s list of rare plants since 1990 (Argus and Pryer, 1990). There are no related forms that are threatened.
The Canadian populations may contain genetic diversity important for the species’ survival, since they represent the species’ northernmost locations.
Van Brunt’s Jacob’s-ladder is of scientific interest because of its primitive nature; according to Grant (1959), Polemonium is the most primitive genus within tribe Polemoniae.
The plant is of public interest due to its great beauty as well as its horticultural potential in wetland gardens. According to Klimas and Cunningham (1981), North American Indians used to wash their hair with a leaf decoction from this plant. Cox (1985) mentions the astringent and sudorific medicinal properties of two related species, P. caeruleum and P. reptans, which are recommended for diarrhoea, stings, bites, and lung ailments.
There is no negative public opinion against this species.
Polemonium vanbruntiaemay be confused with two cultivated plants, P. caeruleum and P. reptans, which occasionally escape cultivation but grow in slightly drier environments.
