EADIX VALERIANA. 377 



VALERIANACE^. 



RADIX VALERIANAE. 



Valerian Moot; F. Racine de Valeriane ; G. Baldrianivurzel. 



w 



Botanical Origin — Valeriana offi^cinalis L., an herbaceous peren- 

 nial plant, growing throughout Europe from Spain to Iceland, the 

 North Cape and the Crimea, and extending over Northern Asia to tlie 

 coasts of Manchuria. The plant is found in plains and uplands, 

 ascending even in Sweden to 1200 feet above the sea-level 



In England, valerian is cultivated in many villages ^ near Chester- 

 field in Derbyshire, the wild plant which occurs in the neighbourhood 

 not being sufficiently plentiful to supply the demand. 



In Vermont, New Hampshire and New York, as well as in Holland, 

 the plant is grown to some extent, but by far the largest supply 

 would appear to be grown in the environs of the German town 



Colleda, not far from Leipzig. 



Valerian is propagated by separating the young plants which 

 are developed at the end of runners emitted from the rootstock. 



The wild plant, according to the situation it inhabits, exhibits 

 several divergent forms. Among eight or more varieties noticed by 

 botanists,^ we may especially distinguish a. major with a compar- 

 atively tall stem and all the leaves toothed, ^. minor {V. an gust i folia 

 iausch) with entire or slightly dentate leaves, and also V. samhuci folia 

 Mikan, having only 4 or 5 pairs of leaflets. 



History—The plant which the Greeks and Romans called $01/ or 

 y iM, and which Dioscorides and Pliny describe as a sort of wild nard, 

 IS usually held to be some species of valerian,^ 



The word Valeriana is not found in the classical authors. We first 

 meet with it in the 0th or 10th century, at which period and for long 

 attervvards, it was used as synonymous with Phw or Fii. 



Thus in the writings of Isaac Judrcus^ occurs the following; — " Fu 

 w< ed Valeriana, melior ruhea et tenuis et quoi venit de Armenia et est 

 (liversa in sua comjilexione. . . ." 

 _ Constantinus Africanus' — " Fu, id est Valeriana. Faturam hahet 



smca 



The word Valeriane occurs in the recipes of the Anglo-Saxon 

 beeches written as early as the 11th century.^ Valeriana, Amantilla 

 ^^dFu are used as synonymous in the Alphita, a medii\3val vocabulary 

 <>i the school of Salernum/ 



Saladinus^ of Ascoli directs [circa A.D. 1450) the collection in the 



/^ 



ton <?f^^^y Aahover, Woollcy Moor, Mor- It must be rcnicnibcrcd that tins is a tran- 



^Zl^\ ^^^' Higham, Shirland, Pilsley, slation from the Arabic. How tlie word in 



field V ^^^^ Wingficld, and Bracken- question stands in the original we have no 



one \x k [^"\*^^^ produce of these villages, means of knowing. 



u;L , V^^^sale dealer in Chesterfield ob- * De owmlms mmlko counitti mcciisarm, 



•ri^ea in 18/2 about C tons (13,140 lb,) of Basil. 1539. 348. 



* LeechdomH, Wortcunning and Starcvaft 



root. 



(M^^^^r T^^^^"^^^^^^ ofcarli/Englaml, iii. (ISGG) 6. 136. 



3 Tr ^^ ^ ^^^d6mie de SL Petersboimj), ' ' S. de Reuzi, Colleclio SakrnUana, ni. 



occn/j ''•^^l'*^^^ L- and nine other species (1854) 271-322. 



^"i^m Asia Minor (TchihatcliefT). ^ Compendium Aromatarionim, Bonon. 



^Pera Omnia, Lngd. 1515, cap. 45.- 14SS. 



