VALERIANA. 



ceolate l/i-a6leas, and forming a compound fpiie, not unlike 

 that of fome Maitbs. It is doubtful whether the feed has 

 any feathery crown. 



16. V. officinalis. Great Wild Valerian. Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 45. Willd. n. 6. Vahl n. 15. Ait. n. 5. FUBrit. 

 n. 3. Enjrl. Bot. t. 698. Curt. Lond. fafc. 6. t. 3, 

 Woodv. Med. Bot. t. 96. Fl. Dan. t. 570. (Valeriana; 

 Rivin. Monop. Irr. t. I ; and V. foliis angullioribus j 

 ibid. t. 2. V. major fylveftris ;. Ger. Em. 1075. P'^" ! 

 Column. Phytob. 114. Ph. parvum ; Matth. Valgr. 

 V. I. 37. Ph. minus ; Camer. Epit. 22. Ph. germanicum; 

 Fuchf. Hift. 857.) — Leaves all pinnate ; leaflets lanceolate, 

 ferrated, nearly uniform. — Common in marfliy places, tlie 

 banks of rivers, or liilly groves and thickets, flowering in 

 June, throughout the more northern parts of E\irope. 

 Root perennial, flefny, aromatic, but with a ftrong and pe- 

 culiar, very naufeous, flavour, highly grateful to cats. Stem 

 about four feet high, furrowed, leafy. Lea-ves ftalked, 

 from eight to twelve inches long ; leaflets of the radical 

 ones, in the upland variety, fomewhat broader, and more 

 ovate, than in the marfli kind ; while thofe of the ilem, in 

 the fame variety, are fometimes very narrow and entire. 

 Floiuers numerous, flefli-coloured or white, in large corym- 

 bofe tufts. Seed crowned with large feathery down. 



This plant having, till very lately, fee the next fpecies, 

 been generally taken for the famous Cw, or Valerian, of 

 Diofcoridcs, has been univcrfally employed in medicine, for 

 the cure of nervous head- aches, hyfterical and epileptic 

 diforders. The mountain kind, being lefs acrid and more 

 aromatic, is preferred for ule, and is kept in all apothecaries' 

 fliops, in whofe "compound of villainous fmells" its flavour 

 notably predominates. 



17. V. D'wfcorldis; Ancient Grecian Valerian. Sm. 

 Fl. Graec. Sibth. v. 1. 24. t. 33. (?oi/; Diofc. book i. 

 chap. 10.) — Stamens three. Leaves all pinnate; leaflets 

 of the lyrate radical ones ovate, with wavy teeth. Root 



tuberous Gathered by Dr. Sibthorp near the river Li- 



myrus in Lycia, as we are informed by Mr. Hawkins, the 

 learned companion of his tour. The profeflbr himfelf firfl;, 

 of all modern botanifts, difcovered this plant, and juftly 

 concluded it to be the real (iov, for which our common wild 

 Valerian has been always mifl;aken. The oblong tuberous 

 perennial root has a much more pungent, peppery, more 

 durable, and yet lefs naufeous, odour than the laft defcribed. 

 T\\cjlem is hollow, fimple, two feet high. Herb fmooth. 

 Radical leaves numerous, lyrate, difi;inguiflied by the ovate 

 form, and wavy margin, of all their leaflets, of which the 

 odd one is much the largeft, and fomewhat heart-fliaped : 

 thofe of the ftem few, lanceolate, narrow, partly ferrated. 

 Flowers very like the laft. 



18. V. Italica. Italian Valerian. Lamarck lUuftr. v. 1. 

 92. Vahl n. 16. (V. tuberofa ; Imperato Hifl.. Nat- 656. 

 Bauh. Hift. V. 3. part 2. 207. V. tuberofa Imperati ; 

 Tourn. Cor. 5. Barrel. Ic. t. 825. V. oenanthes radice ; 

 Morif. fed. 7. t. 15. f. 4. ) — Stamens four. Leaves all 

 pinnate ; leaflets of the radical ones ovate, nearly uniform, 

 fliarply toothed. Root tuberous. — Gathered by Imperato 

 on the mountains of Liguria. We have only his figure, 

 which all authors have copied, to guide us ; except Vahl's 

 defcription, made from a fpecimen in Juffieu's colleaion. 

 This appears very nearly the fame with our F. Diofcor'idu, 

 efpecially the root, which is faid to fmell like Nard. The 

 leaves however are reprefented as much more ftrongly toothed, 

 more equally pinnate, and not lyrate ; the upper pair in- 

 deed have narrow entire leaflets, rcferabling our laft. The 



flowers are white, more denfely corymbofe, and aflerted by 

 Lamarck to have four flamens, which, if corred, and con- 

 VoL. XXXVl. 



ftant, indicates an eflential difference. It would be very 

 defirable to compare fpecimens of this Italian Valerian with 

 thofe of Dr. Sibthorp. 



19. V .Jifymbriifolia. Water-crefs-leaved Valerian. Vahl 

 n. 17. (V. orientalis, fifymbrii Matthioli folio; Tourn. 

 Cor. 6.) — "Leaves all pinnate; leaflets roundifli-ovate, 

 entire." — Native of the Levant ; examined in Juffieu's her- 

 barium by Vahl, who declares it, contrary to Buxbaum's 

 opinion, to be totally diftinft from V. dioica. The plant 

 refembles Sifymbrhim Naflurtium. Stem from fix to twelve 

 inches high, finely ftriated, fmooth, as well as every other 

 part. Leaves ftalked, pinnate, of two or three pair of 

 leaflets ; the innermoft of which are fmalleft, alternate, and 

 fomewhat ftalked ; the outer feffile and oppofite ; the odd 

 one an inch long, ovate or roundifti, very blunt, obfcurely 

 ribbed ; fometimes the top leaves areternate only. Flowers 

 in a denfe, level-topped, nearly fimple corymb, refembling 

 thofe of V. oflicmalis. Brafleas linear, (horter than the 

 flower. Stamens three. Style three-cleft. This appears, 

 by the above defcription of Vahl, to be likewife related to 

 V. Diofcoridis. We have feen neither fpecimen nor figure. 



20. V. eapenfls. Cape Valerian. Thunb. Prodr. 7. 

 Willd. n. 5. Vahl n. 18. — " Leaves pinnate; leaflets ovate, 

 toothed. Stem hairy at the joints." — Found by Thunberg 

 at the Cape of Good Hope. The flem is faid to be fur- 

 rowed ; fmooth, except the joints. Corymbs forked. 



21. V , pantculata. Panicled Valerian. " Fl. Peruv. v. 1. 

 41. t. 70. f. a." Vahl n. 19. — " Hairy. Radical leaves 

 undivided, heart -fliaped ; thofe of the ftem pinnate, with 

 ovate finely -toothed leaflets. Branches of the panicle forked." 

 — Native of boggy ftony places in Peru. Root branched. 

 Herb villous. Stems feveral, aggregate, flightly leafy, near a 

 yard high, quite fimple, fomewhat two-edged, farrowed, 

 hollow. Radical leaves two, entire ; lower flem-leaves of 

 feven pair of acute leaflets, gradually fmaller downwards ; 

 uppermoft of all ternate. Footflalks flieathing. Panicle 

 diffufe. Bradeas fmall, linear, oppofite. Calyx marginal, 

 with ten angles. Tube of the corolla very fmall. Seed ob- 

 long, but little compreffed, crowned with ten rays. Vahl. 



22. W. deciijata. Crofs-branched Valerian. " Fl. Peruv. 

 v. I. 42. t. 70. f. b." Vahl n. 20. — " Leaves pinnate ; 

 leaflets lanceolate, finely toothed ; hoary and downy beneath. 

 Branches of the panicle forked and divaricated." — Found 

 about hedges, and ftony places, in Peru. Stem herbaceous, 

 though fomewhat chmbing, three feet high, ftriated, hollow, 

 a little downy. Leaves on ftiort ftalks ; leaflets gradually- 

 larger outwards, diftantly and minutely toothed ; downy 

 above ; more denfely fo beneath. Panicle very large, with 

 horizontal partial flcwer-ftalks. Bradeas under each divi- 

 fion linear. Corolla minute, white. Seed crowned with 

 ten or twelve rays. Vahl. 



21,. V. fcandens. Climbing Valtrian. Linn. Sp. PI. 47. 

 Loefl. It. 235. Vahl n. 21. — " Leaves ternate. Stem 

 climbing." — Gathered by Loefling in his journey from 



Cumana to the river Oroonoco, flowering in January 



The flowers grow in lateral, fomewhat forked, fpiked 

 panicles. Corolla tubular, greenifli-rofe-coloured, with five 

 equal fpreading teeth. Stamens three. Seeds compreffed, 

 ovate, ftriated, with a feathery crown. Loefling. We have 

 never feen, or heard of, a fpecimen of this plant in Europe, 

 Linnaeus having defcribed it from Loefling's authority only. 



2i^.V.fanguiforbifolia. Burnet-leaved Valerian. Cavan. 

 Ic. V. 5. 34. t. 456. Vahl n. 22. — Leaves pinnate ; 

 leaflets ovate, toothed. Corymbs compound. Stem hairy 

 at the joints.— Native of the Cordilleras of Chili, flowering 

 in January. The flem is about a foot high, afcendmg, - 

 leafy. Radical leaves ftalked, of about fix pair of fmall, 

 ^ B roundifti* 



