Valeriana | |
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Garden valerian, Valeriana officinalis | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Dipsacales |
Family: | Caprifoliaceae |
Subfamily: | Valerianoideae |
Genus: | Valeriana L., 1753 |
Synonyms [1] | |
List
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Valeriana is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, [1] members of which may be commonly known as valerians. It contains many species, including the garden valerian, Valeriana officinalis. Species are native to all continents except Antarctica, with centers of diversity in Eurasia and South America (especially in the Andes).
Some species are known as introduced species in other parts of the world, including Valeriana rubra in the western United States [2] and Valeriana macrosiphon in Western Australia. [3]
The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus after the Roman emperor Publius Licinius Valerianus who was said to use the plant as medicine. [4] : 16 The emperor's personal name comes from Valeria and the Latin verb valeo which means "to be strong". [5] [6]
32 previously recognized genera, including Centranthus, Fedia, and Plectritis, are now considered synonyms of Valeriana. [1] Species in the former genus Centranthus are unusual in having flowers with "handedness", that is, having neither radial nor bilateral symmetry. [7]
Species from this genus are herbaceous and have woody roots. They grow vines with fine hairs and trifoliolate, pinnate leaves with serrated edges. They release a strong smell when they dry. Their flowers bloom from cymes. [8]
Fossil seeds of Valeriana sp, among them †Valeriana pliocenica, have been recovered from Late Miocene deposits of southern Ukraine, and from Pliocene deposits of south-eastern Belarus and Bashkortostan in central Russia. The fossil seeds are most similar to the extant European Valeriana simplicifolia (a subspecies of Valeriana dioica ). [9]
As of July 2024 [update] , Plants of the World Online accepts over 435 species and hybrids, including: [1]
Valerian is a perennial flowering plant native to Europe and Asia. In the summer when the mature plant may have a height of 1.5 metres, it bears sweetly scented pink or white flowers that attract many fly species, especially hoverflies of the genus Eristalis. It is consumed as food by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including the grey pug.
The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous flowering plants consisting of about 860 species in 33 to 42 genera, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Centres of diversity are found in eastern North America and eastern Asia, while they are absent in tropical and southern Africa.
The Valerianaceae Batsch, the valerian family, was a family of flowering plants that is now considered part of the Caprifoliaceae. Plants are generally herbaceous, and their foliage often has a strong, disagreeable odor. They are found native in most regions of the world except for Australia. Some species are cultivated as ornamentals or used in herbal medicine for inducing relaxation and sleep.
Verbena, also known as vervain or verveine, is a genus in the family Verbenaceae. It contains about 150 species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants. The majority of the species are native to the Americas and Asia; however, Verbena officinalis, the common vervain or common verbena, is the type species and native to Europe.
Talinum is a genus of herbaceous succulent plants in the family Talinaceae whose common names include fameflower. It includes 27 species native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Indian subcontinent, and Myanmar. Several species bear edible leaves, and Talinum fruticosum is widely grown in tropical regions as a leaf vegetable. Talinum paniculatum is grown as an ornamental plant.
British NVC community MG2 is one of the mesotrophic grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
Cochlospermum is a genus of trees in the Bixaceae family; some classifications place this genus in the family Cochlospermaceae. It is native to tropical regions of the world, particularly Latin America, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and Australia.
Valeriana amazonum is a species of plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is endemic to Italy.
Valerianella is a genus of flowering plant in family Caprifoliaceae. It includes 23 species native to the Mediterranean Basin of southern Europe and North Africa, western and central Asia, Madeira and the Azores, and Ethiopia and Kenya. Many species formerly placed in Valerianella, including those native to the Americas, have been moved to Valeriana. Plants of Valerianella and Valeriana are sometimes known by the common name corn salad or cornsalad.
Valeriana nuttallii, or Nuttall's cornsalad, is a small dicot annual plant of the family Caprifoliaceae which can be found growing within the United States in areas of Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Valeriana jatamansi, formerly known as Valeriana wallichii, is a rhizome herb of the genus Valeriana and the family Valerianaceae also called Indian Valerian or Tagar-Ganthoda, not to be confused with ganthoda, the root of Indian long pepper. It is an herb useful in Ayurvedic medicine used as an analeptic, antispasmodic, carminative, sedative, stimulant, stomachic, and nervine.
Valeriana macrosiphon, also commonly called long-spurred valerian, is a herb of the family Caprifoliaceae.
Valerianoideae is a subfamily of plants.
Valeriana woodsiana, common name beaked cornsalad, is a plant native to the United States. It is an annual self pollinating flowering plant and besides being edible there are no known uses. Valerianella radiata flowers from April- May.
Morisonia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Capparaceae, found across the Americas from the United States to Argentina. They are typically shrubs or small trees. The genus was recently enlarged with New World Capparis species due to existing taxonomic instability.
Valeriana dioica, the marsh valerian, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to North America, Europe and Anatolia. It is typically found in calcareous fens. It is a dioecious species, with male and female flowers on separate individuals, and it is pollinated by small flies.
Valeriana graciliflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is an annual native to Algeria, the Balearic Islands, mainland Greece and Crete, mainland Italy and Sicily, Libya, and Tunisia. It has been introduced to Corsica, France, Mauritius, and Sardinia.
Valeriana eriocarpa is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is an annual native to western and southern Europe, northwestern Turkey, and north Africa.