THE VALERIAN. 



Valeriana officinalis. JV</<. Ord, 

 Talerianaeete. 



HE great valerian, the subject 

 of our present ' illustration, 

 should be looked for in damp 

 and shady situations. It may 

 ordinarily be abundantly met 

 with by the sides of ditches 

 and streams, and in the tangled 

 undergrowth in moist woods. 

 It is a perennial, and flowers 

 during June, July, and August. 

 It is found throughout Britain ; 

 but in the north it is often 

 encountered on more elevated 

 and drier ground than it ap- 

 pears to affect in the southern 

 part of the island, and in this 

 case the plant becomes smaller, 

 and more densely covered with hairs. Though none of 

 the varieties wander far from the typical form, the valerian 

 appears to be more subject than many plants to slight 

 deviations from the normal state of things, hence several 

 more or less permanent varieties have been recognised, 

 named, and figured by various writers. Of these we need 



