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 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.
Valeriana locusta, commonly called mâche, cornsalad, or lamb's lettuce, a small, herbaceous, annual flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It is native to Europe, western Asia and north Africa, where it is eaten as a leaf vegetable.
Valeriana is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, members of which may by 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.
Valeriana rubra, the red valerian, spur valerian, kiss-me-quick, fox's brush, devil's beard or Jupiter's beard, is a popular garden plant grown for its ornamental flowers.
Centaurea montana, the perennial cornflower, mountain cornflower, bachelor's button, montane knapweed or mountain bluet, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, endemic to Europe. It is widespread and common in the more southerly mountain ranges of Europe, but is rarer in the north. It escapes from gardens readily, and has thereby become established in the British Isles, Scandinavia and North America. This plant has become an invasive species in British Columbia, Canada. Centaurea montana grows in meadows and open woodland in the upper montane and sub-alpine zones, in basic areas. It grows to 30–70 centimetres (12–28 in) tall, and flowers mainly from May to August.
Valeriana sitchensis is a species of valerian known by the common name Sitka valerian. It is native to northwestern North America from Alaska and northern Canada to Montana to northern California, where it grows in many types of habitat, including moist mountain forests. In moist subalpine meadows, it is often one of the most common plants. This is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing a stout, erect stem to about 70 centimeters in maximum height, but known to exceed one meter at times. The leaves vary in size and shape, often having deep lobes or being composed of several leaflets. The inflorescence is a cyme of many white or pink-tinged flowers, each under a centimeter wide. The flower has five corolla lobes and three whiskery stamens protruding from the center.
Valeriana celtica is a species of plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is also known as Alpine valerian and valerian spikenard. It is endemic to the Eastern Alps and to the Graian and Pennine Alps. It grows as a perennial herb 5 to 15 cm (2.0–5.9 in) tall. Along with Valeriana saxatilis and Valeriana elongata, it forms a clade of dioecious plants. Until the 1930s, it was extensively harvested for export to Asia for use in perfumes. The root has been used as a folk remedy as a nerve tonic.
Valeriana occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common name western valerian. It is native to the western United States, particularly the northwestern quadrant, but it occurs as far south as Arizona and as far east as Colorado and South Dakota. It occurs in moist, forested mountain habitat. It is an erect herb growing 30 to 75 centimeters tall with whorls or opposite pairs of leaves at intervals along stem. The leaves are generally divided into lobes or are compound, with each leaf made up of a few oval-shaped leaflets. The inflorescence is a dense cyme of many funnel-shaped white flowers each 3 or 4 millimeters long with three long, protruding stamens. The fruit is a ribbed achene about half a centimeter long which may be tipped with the featherlike remains of the flower sepals.
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 edulis, the tobacco root or edible valerian, a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae, is a dioecious perennial herb native to western and central North America. Despite its common name, tobacco root is not closely related to tobacco, but is instead more closely related to elderberry, honeysuckle, and teasel.
Valeriana macrosiphon, also commonly called long-spurred valerian, is a herb of the family Caprifoliaceae.
Valerianoideae is a subfamily of plants.
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 pyrenaica, the capon's tail grass or Pyrenean valerian, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is native to Spain and France, and is a garden escapee in Ireland and Great Britain. A perennial herbaceous plant reaching 1.2 m (4 ft), it grows in the Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains, typically near water.
Valeriana phu, the golden spikenard, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to northern Turkey. A rhizomatous geophytic perennial reaching 1 to 1.5 m, it has a cultivar, 'Aurea', that is widely available from commercial suppliers.
Valeriana arizonica, the Arizona valerian, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is native to the US states of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. A perennial forb reaching 45 cm (18 in), it is found growing in coniferous forests at elevations from 1,400 to 2,400 m.
