316 THE VALERIAN FAMILY. 



of this family are the Aphelexis humilis and the Astelma eximia. Of culinary 

 and economic plants there are also a good many. The lettuce, the artichoke, 

 endive, wormwood, southernwood, the Jerusalem artichoke, which is a kind of 

 perennial sun-flower, scorzonera, siilsafy, and several others, testify that the 

 family is useful as well as gay. The noblest examples of the composite structure 

 are the sun-flower, as regards breadth of disc and size of florets ; the artichoke, 

 as regards the basket ; the goatsbeai'd, as regai'ds the fruit. 



XCII.— THE VALERIAN FAMILY. Valeriandcea. 



Herbaceous plants, often disposed to be succulent, six inches to four 

 feet high. Leaves opposite, undivided, or pinnatifid. Inflorescence 

 usually cymose. Flowers small, but numerous, and gay, from their 

 plenty and lively roseate colours ; usually rather irregular, tubular, 

 with generally five lobes, and sometimes a spur at the base. Stamens 

 one to five, inserted into the tube of the corolla ; stigmas one to three. 



Fig. 170. 



Fig. 169. Fruit of Valerian 



Flower of Valerian (magnified), 



(magnified). 



Fruit small and dry, externally resembling an achenium, but with 

 three cells, two of which are empty, and the other with a solitary 

 ovule in it. The calyx (which, as in all the other families of this 

 group, is adherent to the ovary, and thus appears to grow upon its 

 summit) is either membranous, or like that of such Composita; as have 

 the fi-uit crowned with a sessile plume. (Page 292.) Here, however, 

 while young, it is curved inwards, and almost imperceptible, as shewn 

 in Fig. 169, not unrolling until tlie fruit is nearly ripe, when it becomes 

 the rosette of feathery hairs by which the resemblance is established, 

 and which is represented in Fig. 170. Some species are twining, and 

 many are either strong-scented or aromatic, and in their roots tonic, 

 bitter, antispasmodic, and vermifugal. They grow chiefly in the 

 temperate parts of the old world and of South America. Eight 

 species are indigenous, and five are found near Manchester. 



