VALERIAN FAMILY 243 



closed, the later with a blue corolla; leaves alternate, simple, entire or 

 toothed; annual. 



1. Leaves linear to lance-oblong, sessile 



2. Leaves rounded or broadly ovate, clasping by a 5". leptocdrpa 



heart-shaped base S. perfolidta 



ASTERALES ASTER ORDER 

 VALERIANACEAE VALERIAN FAMILY 



Sepals united and grown to the ovary, the lobes none in flower but 

 becoming a feathery pappus in fruit, petals usually 5, united into a regular 

 or irregular corolla, stamens 3 on the corolla tube, ovary 1-3-celled, fruit 

 an achene with feathery pappus ; flowers perfect or dioecious in clustered 

 cymes ; herbs with opposite simple to pinnate leaves. 



VALERIANA Linne 1753 VALERIAN 



(Lat. valeo, to be strong, from the strong odor) 



PL 36, fig. 3. 



Characters of the family. 



1. Flowers in a flat-topped cluster; leaves thin, net- 



ted-veined, the segments usually toothed V . silvdtica 



2. Flowers in a long panicle-like cluster ; leaves 



thick, parallel-veined, the segments entire V. edulis 



ASTERACEAE ASTER OR COMPOSITE FAMILY 



Sepals usually 5, united and grown to the ovary, usually developing in 

 fruit into a pappus of awns, bristles, hairs, scales or teeth, sometimes lack- 

 ing, petals usually 5, united into a regular tubular corolla in the disk flowers 

 and into an irregular ribbon-like corolla in the marginal or ray flowers, sta- 

 mens usually 5, united by their anthers, on the corolla tube, style 2-cleft at 

 the apex, the ray flowers often without stamens or style, ovary 1 -celled, be- 

 coming a 1 -seeded achene usually crowned by the pappus ; flowers grouped 

 in dense clusters called heads, each one popularly regarded as a flower, en- 

 closed in an involucre made up of one or more rows of bracts, often with 

 chaffy scales between the single flowers; heads solitary or clustered on the 

 stems; herbs or shrubs, very variable as to leaves. 

 1. Heads rayless, with tube- or disk-flowers only 



a. Heads white, yellow, red, etc., not green and 

 inconspicuous 



