Polemonium vanbruntiae is a perennial herb that grows erect from a horizontal rhizome,[4] reaching one meter in maximum height.

[7][8] Polemonium vanbruntiae can be found from New Brunswick and Quebec south to Maryland and West Virginia.

[1][10] It tolerates a wide variety of wetland habitat types including swamps, bogs, marshes, and wet spots along roadsides.

The main threat to the species is the destruction and degradation of wetland habitat, for example, by flooding during dam construction.

[11] Succession may be a threat in some areas, as the plant's open habitat becomes shaded when large and woody vegetation moves in.