878 FLORA. 



Family i. VALERIANACEAE Batsch. 

 Valerian Family. 



Herbs, with opposite leaves, no stipules, and usually small flowers, in 

 corymbed panicled or capitate cymes. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, 

 its limb inconspicuous or none in flower, often becoming prominent in 

 fruit. Corolla epigynous, somewhat irregular, its tube narrowed, and 

 sometimes gibbous or spurred at the base, its limb spreading, mostly 5- 

 lobed. Stamens 1-4, inserted on the corolla and alternate with its lobes. 

 Ovary inferior, i-3-celled, one of the cavities containing a single ana- 

 tropous ovule, the others empty. Fruit indehiscent, dry, containing a 

 single suspended seed. Endosperm little or none; embryo straight ; 

 cotyledons oblong. About 9 genera and 275 species, of wide distribution. 

 Fruit i-celled ; persistent calyx-lobes becoming awn-like ; tall herbs, i. Valeriana. 

 Fruit 3-celled; calyx-lobes minute or none; low herbs. 2. Valerianella. 



i. VALERIANA L. 



Perennial strong-smelling herbs, the leaves mainly basal and the cymose flowers 

 paniculate in our species. Calyx-limb of 5-15 plumose teeth, short and inrolled in 

 flower, but elongated, rolled outward and conspicuous in fruit. Corolla funnelform 

 or tubular, usually more or less gibbous at the base, the limb nearly equally 5- 

 lobed. Stamens commonly 3. Style entire, or minutely 2-3-lobed at the summit. 

 Fruit compressed, i -nerved on the back. 3-nerved on the front. [Name Middle 

 Latin, from valere, to be strong.] About 185 species, mostly in the north temper- 

 ate zone and the Andes. Besides the follovwng, 6 or 7 others occur in southern and 

 western N. Am. 



Corolla-tube very slender, 1-2 cm. long; basal leaves cordate. i. V. pauciflora. 

 Corolla-tube 2-6 mm. long; basal leaves not cordate. 



Leaves thick, parallel-veined, entire, or the segments not dentate. 



2. V. edulis. 

 Leaves thin, reticulate- veined, the segments dentate. 



Lower leaves spatulate, often entire; plant glabrous. 



Segments of middle stem-leaves 9-13, usually sinuate-dentate; corolla 3.5-5 



mm. wide. 3. V. uliginosa. 



Segments of middle stem-leaves 5-7, entire ; corolla 2.5-3 mm. wide. 



4. V. septentrionalis. 

 All the leaves pinnately divided; plant pubescent, especially at the nodes. 



5. V. officinalis. 



1. Valeriana pauciflora Michx. LARGE-FLOWERED VALERIAN. (I. F. 

 f. 3471.) Rootstocks slender, usually horizontal. Stem glabrous, 3-9 dm. high, 

 often sending out runners; leaves thin, the basal ones slender-petioled. simple, or 

 sometimes with a pair of small segments on the petiole, broadly ovate, cordate, acute, 

 crenate or dentate; stem leaves pinnately 3-7-divided, the terminal segment larger 

 than the others; cymes terminal, clustered; corolla pink; bracts linear; fruit ob- 

 long or oblong-lanceolate, about 6 mm. long, glabrous or puberulent ; bristles of the 

 calyx at length elongated and plumose. In moist soil, Penn. to W. Va., 111., Ky. 

 and Mo. May-June. 



2. Valeriana edulis Nutt. EDIBLE VALERIAN. TOBACCO-ROOT. (I. F. 

 f. 3472.) Erect, 3-12 dm. high, from a deep carrot- shaped root. Stem glabrous, 

 or nearly so, the young leaves commonly pubescent and the older ones ciliate, some- 

 times glabrous; basal leaves spatulate or oblanceolate, 0.7-3 dm. long, obtuse, nar- 

 rowed into margined petioles, parallel-veined, entire or with a few obtuse entire 

 lobes; stem leaves few, sessile, pinnately parted into linear or lanceolate segments; 

 flowers yellowish white, 4 mm. long, polygamo-dioecious, paniculate; bracts 

 lanceolate, short; fruit narrowly ovate, glabrous or nearly so, 4 mm. long, at length 

 exceeded by the plumose calyx-teeth. In wet open places, Ont. to Br. Col., Ohio, 

 Wis., Ariz, and N. Mex. May-Aug. 



3. Valeriana uliginosa (T. & G.) Rydb. WOOD OR SWAMP VALERIAN. (I. 

 F. f. 3473.) Erect, glabrous or nearly so, 3-7.5 dm. high. Rootstocks creeping or 

 ascending; basal leaves petioled, oblong or spatulate, obtuse, entire, or with a few 



