Valeriana officinalis

Plant Characteristics

Habit		herbaceous
Height:	⇕	4 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 4. to 6 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 6.
Width:	⇔	16 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 16. to 32 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 32.
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun, part-sun
Water:	◍	moist
USDA Zones:		3 to 10.5
Flower features:	❀	white

Scientific Names

Valerianaceae >

Valeriana >

officinalis >

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis, Valerianaceae) is a hardy perennial flowering plant, with heads of sweetly scented pink or white flowers. The flowers are in bloom in the northern hemisphere from June to September. Valerian was used as a perfume in the sixteenth century.

Native to Europe and parts of Asia, Valerian has been introduced into North America. It is consumed as food by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species including Grey Pug.

Other names used for this plant include garden valerian (to distinguish it from other Valeriana species), garden heliotrope (although not related to Heliotropium) and all-heal. The garden flower red valerian is also sometimes referred to as "valerian" but is a different species, from the same family but not particularly closely related.

Read about Valeriana officinalis in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Valeriana officinalis, Linn. Common Valerian. Garden Heliotrope. Cat's Valerian. St. George's Herb. Perennial, glabrous or more or less pubescent below, 2-5 ft. high: rhizome truncate, sometimes stoloniferous: sts. erect, simple below, somewhat branching above, sulcate: lvs. all pinnatisect; segms. 7-10-paired, usually dentate-serrate, those of the lower lvs. ovate-oblong, of the upper lvs. lanceolate, acuminate: corymb broadly paniculate, long-branched: fls. numerous, whitish, pinkish or lavender, very fragrant. Eu., N. Asia.—Variable. The medicinal valerian is obtained mostly from the roots of this species. Var. alba, Hort., is a white-fld. form. Var. rubra, Hort., is a red-fld. form. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

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