158 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



only here definitely refer to the V, samlucifolia, a variety 

 which derives its name, signifying elder-leaved, from the 

 form of its foliage, the segments being fewer and broader 

 than in the type form, and assimilating in character to 

 those of the elder. 



The large size of the plant, its erect and sturdy-looking 

 growth, and the crowning mass of light-coloured flowers, 

 are all points that tend to make the plant conspicuous 

 when it is seen growing in the sylvan shades, and the rich 

 dark green of the leaves and their beautiful form render the 

 plant attractive to the lover of natural grace and beauty, 

 both before and after its time of flowering. 



The root of the valerian sends out numerous large 

 fibres, and has valuable medicinal qualities. This root 

 sends up one stem only, and this attains to a height 

 of some three or four feet, round in general section, 

 but a good deal grooved, hollow in the interior, and 

 more or less hairy, the hairiness being most conspicuous 

 near the base. It terminates in two or more pairs of 

 flowering stems, each pair being placed at right angles 

 to those above and below it. The lower flowering stems 

 lengthen sufficiently to place their flowers nearly or quite 

 on a level with the flowers borne by the upper branches, so 

 that the general mass of bloom does not run down the stem, 

 as in a hyacinth, but forms a broad and flattened cluster 

 at the summit. The leaves are arranged in pairs, and 

 are united at their bases. Each leaf is made up, as 

 may be well seen in our figure, of a series of lanceolate seg- 

 ments, or leaflets, that are placed more or less opposite to 

 each other on either side of the mid-rib of the leaf. These 

 segments vary very much in number, anything between ten 

 and twenty being encountered. The segments, too, vary a 



