Wildflowers of Ainsworth: Jacob's Ladder

I had a hard time identifying this because Newcomb's Wildflower Guide requires you to classify a plant's leaves (if any) first as to arrangement on the stem: basal, alternate, or opposite/whorled; and then as to the individual leaf: entire, toothed/lobed, or divided.


(Click on images to enlarge)

Wouldn't your first guess be opposite, entire? Mine was. My second guess was basal, divided. Turns out these leaves are alternate, divided.

It is called "Jacob's ladder" because the leaves seem to be forming a ladder or stairway up to heaven, as in the biblical Jacob's dream.


Pretty little flowers.






You can see some bedstraw intruding on the right in this photo: