VALERIANA. 



of Peru. The habit of this fpecies is like Polygonum Perjl- 

 ■.jria. Stems feveral, much branched, with a grey bark ; 

 branches afcending, ftraight, jointed, fomewhat iheathed, 

 lioUow ; marked when young with two downy lines, alter- 

 nately croffing each other, of a dark tawny colour, ftriated. 

 LeoFues tapering and fringed at the bafe, but otherwife 

 fmooth. Common Jlower-Jialk elongated ; partial ones op- 

 poflte, three-cleft, with a pair of fmall combined leaves at 

 each fide. Bracieas lanceolate, obtufe. Calyx bordered. 

 Stigma cloven. Seed-down hairy. Vahl. 



i^^. V . fal'tcariafolia. Loofeftrife -leaved Valerian. Vahl 

 n. 41. — " Leaves lanceolate, entire, feffile. Corymbs ter- 

 minal, twice compound." — Gathered at Buenos Ayi-es by 

 Commerfon, and preferved in Juflieu's herbarium. Plant 

 all over fmooth. Stem eighteen inches high, quite fimple, 

 ftriated, throwing out roots in the lower part. Leaves three 

 or four inches long ; the lower ones tapering' towards the 

 bafe ; the upper fomevvhat heart -fhaped at their infertion ; 

 deftitute of rib or veins. Vahl. 



44. V. pilofa. Plantain-leaved Valerian. " Fl. Peruv. 

 v. I. 39. t. 66. f. a." Vahl n. 42 — " Hairy. Leaves lance- 

 olate, entire, revolute. Corymbs racemofe." — Native of 

 the colder regions of Peru. This has the afpeft of Plantago 

 albicans. Root branched. Stem folitary, occafionally two 

 or three, erecl, a foot high, ftriated, bearing two linear 

 leaves about the middle. Radical leaves very numerous, fix 

 inches long, unequal, erefl. Corymbs oppofite, in the upper 

 part of the ftem, with from three to five partial ftalks. 

 Floiuers feffile, in a head, with obovate bradeas intermixed. 

 Ca/y A- bordered. Stigma cioszn. Seed- Jo'wn hairy . Vahl. 



45. V. coarHata. Clofe-flovvered Valerian. " Fl. Peruv. 

 V. I. 40. t. 68. f. a." Vahl n. 43 — " Leaves wedgefhaped- 

 lanceolate, minutely toothed, fringed. Flowers in whorled 

 fpikes." — Native of cold fituations, on the lofty mountains 

 of Peru. Root tapering, perennial, divided in its lower 

 part. Stem nearly a foot high, ftriated, downy with deci- 

 duous hairs ; naked below ; leafy above. Radical leaves im- 

 bricated, fix or eight inches long, channelled, tapering at 

 the bafe ; purpHfh externally ; the floral ones three or four, 

 lanceolate, fmooth on both fides, finely toothed and fringed, 

 as well as the radical ones. Floiuers felFde, in crowded 

 whorls, the loweft whorl only being diftant from the reft. 

 BraBeas fliort, wedge-fhaped. Seed oblong, crowned with 

 five fcales. Vahl. It is manifeft that this fpecies and the 

 three following are as much entitled to be ranked with Fedia 

 as many others. 



46. V . ferrata. Serrated Valerian. " Fl. Peruv. v. i. 

 40. t. 68. i.e." Vahl n.<J4. — " Leaves wedge(haped-lan- 

 ceolate, ferrated towards the extremity. Flowers in whorled 

 fpikes." — Native of cold fituations in Peru. Root peren- 

 nial, thick. Herb tufted, fmooth. Stems feveral, ftriated, 

 nearly leaflefs ; the middle one fix inches high, leafy under 

 the flowers. Radical leaves numerous ; floral ones ferrated 

 at the extremity. Spihe terminal, five or fix inches long. 

 Flowers feffile, in many-flowered whorls, of which the 

 lower ones are diftant, the upper crowded. Braiteas wedge- 

 fhaped, membranous between the flowers. Seed oblong, 

 crdwned with five fcales. Vahl. 



47. V. rigida. Rigid Valerian. " Fl. Peruv. v. i. 39. 

 t. 65. f. c." Vahl n. 4^. — " Stem none. Leaves lanceo- 

 late, aggregate, imbricated, fpreading, the upper oi;es gra- 

 dually fmaller." — Native of the mountains of Peru. Root 

 fpindle-lhaped, perennial. Radical leaves extremely nume- 

 rous, fpreading in the form of a rofe, an inch and half long, 

 entire, with a cartilaginous edge, coriaceous, rigid, without 

 rib or veins ; minutely dotted on both fides ; fliining on the 

 jppcr fnrface ; fringed towards the bafe ; terminating in a 



rather pungent point ; lying over one another in an imbri- 

 cated manner, the innermoft being gradually fmaller. 

 Floauer-jlalks, if any, very fnort, in the centre of the leav^es, 

 comprefled, white, tapering at the bafe. Flo^jiers with a 

 general, as well as partial, involucnim, each of one leaf, 

 fheathing, divided. Calyx a very minute border. Stigma 

 cloven. Seed naked. Vahl. 



48. V. tenuifolia. Taper-leaved Valerian. " Fl. Peruv. 

 V. I. 39. t. 65. f. d." Vahl n. 46. — " Stem none. Leaver 

 linear-awlfhaped, aggregate, feffile, imbricated, fpreading ; 

 the outermoil very long. — Native of the mountains of Peru. 

 Root perennial, fpindle-fliaped. Radical leaves numerous, 

 unequal, fpreading in the manr^er of a liar, entire, veinlefs, 

 fmooth and fhining, with a rather rigid point ; dilated and 

 membranous at the bafe ; ciliated in their lower part. In 

 other refpefts this fpecies agrees with the laft, both being 

 widely different in habit from the reft of their genus. 

 Vahl. 



Valerian.-^, in Gardening, contains plants of the hardy, 

 herbaceous, perennial kind, among which the Ipecies culti- 

 vated are, the common or broad-leaved red valerian (V. I 

 rubra) ; the narrow-leaved red valerian (V. anguftifolia) ; ' 

 the cut-leaved valerian (V. calcitrapa) ; tlie garden or white 

 Alfatian valerian (V. phu) ; the three-leaved valerian (V. 

 tripteris) ; the mountain valerian (V. montana) ; the Celtic 

 valerian (V. celtica) ; the tuberous-rooted valerian (V. tu- 

 berofa) ; the Pyrenean valerian (V. pyrenaica) ; the offi- 

 cinal valerian (V. officinalis) ; and the common corn-fallad, ' 

 or lamb's lettuce (V. olitcria). . 



The firft fort differs in fome degree in the colour of its 

 flowers ; they being in fome plants of a deep red, in others of a 

 pale red, a bright red, and there are others which have white 

 flowers. The fecond fort has bright red flowers, fmaller than 

 thofe of the former. The third is an annual plant, which has 

 the flowers ftiaped like thofe of the fourth fort, but fmaller, 

 and tinged with flefli-colour at the top : and it varies with the 

 lower leaves pinnatifid. The fourth fort has the branches 

 terminated by bunches of fmall wliite flowers, the odour of 

 which is very agreeable. The fifth has the flowers numer- 

 ous, white, and in loofe bunches. In the fixth fort the ftem 

 is upright, fimple, a foot or eighteen inches high, with the 

 flowers of a whitifti or purphfti colour, in a bunch. The 

 feventh fort has the ftem flender, fi.iple, and terminated by 

 a few fmall whitifli flowers in a buncii. The eighth fort is 

 eafily diftinguiflied by its tuberous roots : and there is a 

 variety with the roots in the form of an olive. The ninth 

 fort has the ftem and brandies terminated by umbels of pale 

 flefli-coloured flowers, with very ffiort fpurs. The tenth 

 fort has the ftalks two feet high, all of which and the 

 branches are terminated with umbellated i:lufters of flowers 

 tinged with purple. The laft fort has the flowers very 

 fmall, of a pale blue:(h colour, and colleftcd into a clofe 

 little bunch. It is ufed in fallads in the early fpring and 

 winter, under the name of corn-fallad, or lamb's lettuce. 



There is a variety which is fmaller, with jagged leaves : 

 the fizes of the leaves alfo differ much, being in fome nar- 

 row, and in others broad, and likewife in the fhape ; but they 

 are all ufed indifferently as fallad herbs while young. 



Method of Culture. — The two firft forts may be increafed 

 by parting the roots, and planting them out in the autumn 

 or fpring feafon, where they are to grow. 



They may alfo be raifed from feed fown at the fame times, 

 in the fituations where the plants are to grow. The third 

 may hkewife be raifed from feeds, by fowing them as above, 

 without any trouble. The fourth may be increafed by 

 parting the roots, and planting them out in the autumn, on 

 frefh ground where they are to grow. The fifth may be 



raifed 



