Valeriana L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 31 (1753)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Temperate & Subtropics to Tropical Mountains.

Descriptions

Valerianaceae, J. O. Kokwaro (East African Herbarium). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herbs, vines or subshrubs, usually glabrous or sparsely hairy with short simple hairs, with a bitter taste and peculiar smell especially when dry, fleshy (woody or tuberous) roots, sometimes stoloniferous, occasionally gynodioecious or polygamodioecious
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate to nearly sessile, exstipulate; radical leaves entire or toothed, in basal rosette, often long-petioled; cauline leaves pinnatifid, or once–twice-pinnatisect
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence usually a dichasial cyme or thyrse, sometimes lax or subcapitate; bracts free, opposite, persistent, on the ultimate branchlets only 1 bract of each pair is flower-bearing; bracteoles present
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers hermaphrodite or unisexual, small, irregular
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx small, persistent; limb short during anthesis, inrolled, deeply divided into 10 or more segments, these unrolling in fruit and (in most species) developing into 5–15 plumose awns
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla funnel-shaped or campanulate, caducous after anthesis, small, gibbous, sometimes ± hairy in the throat; lobes (3, 4)5, oblong, patent, imbricate in bud
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 3 (rarely 4, and occasionally 1–2 by abortion), inserted toward the top of the corolla-tube, usually exserted, alternating with the corolla-lobes; filaments thin; anthers small, 2-thecous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style filiform, shortly 3-lobed or subentire, glabrous; stigma simple or 3-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit small, indehiscent, much compressed, with 3 dorsal, 1 ventral, and 2 marginal ribs.
[FTEA]

Valerianaceae, J. F. M. Cannon. Flora Zambesiaca 7:1. 1983

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herbs, rarely climbers, occasionally subshrubs which are somewhat woody at the base; glabrous or sometimes sparsely pubescent with simple hairs; often with a characteristic pungent smell of “valerian” from the rizomes, especially when dry.
Note
Some species gynodioecious or polygamodioecious at anthesis.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a dichasial cyme or thyrse, rarely subcapitate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers hermaphrodite or unisexual.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx small and inrolled but usually developing in fruit into 5–15 plumose awns.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla imbricate, funneliform or campanulate, slightly saccate at the base, with (3–4) 5 lobes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens usually 3, epipetalous, alternating with the corolla lobes, frequently exserted.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style with 3 short lobes or slightly emarginate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit an achene, compressed, with 6 filiform ribs.
[FZ]

Ghazanfar, S. A. & Edmondson, J. R (Eds). (2014) Flora of Iraq, Volume 5 Part 2: Lythraceae to Campanulaceae.

Morphology General Habit
Perennial rhizomatous herbs, glabrous or pubescent
Morphology Stem
Stems simple
Morphology Leaves
Leaves opposite, entire or pinnate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence corymbose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small, pink or whitish
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 6–15, segments linear, involute during flowering, in fruit forming a feathery pappus
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 5-lobed, funnel-shaped, tube gibbous at base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 3
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achene compressed dorsiventrally, with 3- and 1-veined faces, feathery.
Distribution
About 250 species in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Cordilleras, also in the S Hemisphere. Two species in Iraq, both rather rare. Zohary (Dep. Agr. Iraq Bull. 31: 140 (1950) names in his list also V. dioscoridis Sm. without any locality; no material is available from Iraq, so this is a doubtful record.
Note
Valeriana (based on the personal name Valerianus via Old Fr. valeriane).
[FIQ]

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Flora of Iraq

    • Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. (Eds). (2013-2019). Flora of Iraq, Volumes 5.1, 5.2 and 6.0. Kew Publishing
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0