Valeriana Dioica. Marsh Valerian. 
VALERIANA Liwuri Geru. Plant. Tiiandria Mosogvnia. 
Cal. o Car. i. petala, bafi hinc gibba, fupera. Sm. t. 
VALERIANA 'dialca floribus triaodris dioicis foliis pinnatis integerrimis. Lm. Syjt. Vtgitah. Sp. Pl.p. 44. 
FI. Suec. n. 35. 
VALERIANA foliis radicalibus petiolat-is ovatis ; caulinis pinnatis, fera diftinfta. Haller, hjft. 208. 
VALERIANA dioica, Scopoli FI. Cam. n. 40. 
VALERIANA paluftris minor. Bauhin. p. 1 64-. 
VALERIANA minor. Ger. em. 1075, 
■ 
VALERIANA fylveftris minor. Park? 122. 
Pali Syn. p. 200. Small wild Valerian, or Marih Valerian. Haifon. FI. Angl ei. 4 . 
p, i2. Lightjoot FI. Scot. j). -85. 
RADIX perennis, geniculata, repens, craflitie pennae co- ' 
racis, albida, rubore aliquando titwSta, odore fub- 
aromatico valerianic iylveftris. 
CAULIS pedalis nut fefquipedalis, ere&us, (implex, tetra- 
gonus, ftriatus, laevis ; rami pauci, ftriati. 
FOLIA oppofita, radicalia integerrima, ovata, obtufa, cau- , 
lina pauca, pinnatifida, pinnis duodecim circiter, : 
venofis, obtufe ferratis. 
FLORES fubcorymbofi, rubelli, dioici, femineis multo ; 
minoribus, fig. i. flor, femin. magn. uat.Jfg. 2. ; 
flor. mafe. ■ 
BRACTEAE plurimae, lanceolate, floribus fubjeiftae. . 
Flos Femin. 
CALYX vix ullus, margo fuperus. fig. 7. 
COROLLA monopetala, tubus a latere inferiore gibbus, ; 
neteariferus ; limbus quiquefidus, laciniis ob-: 
tufis, fubequalibus ; antherarum rudimenta; 
intra tubum cernantur. 
PISTILLUM: Germen inferum, ovatum, compreffum, . 
fulcatum, longitudine fere corollas; Stylus' 
albus, fuperne paulo incrafliitus, corolla paulo : 
longior, obliquus ; Stigma trifidum, fig. 6, 7, ' 
8, 9. : 
SEMEN ovato- oblongum, pallide fufeum, hinc carina- : 
tum, illinc trinerve, pappo pilofo coronatum.' 
0 fig. 11,12, 1 3. 
Flos Masc. 
CALYX et corolla ficut in fem. fig. 2. 
STAMINA : Filamenta tria, filiformia, corolla lon- 
giora; Antherje albe; leu pallide rubentes, 
fig. 5. Piftillum imperfectum in centro floris. 
fig- io- 
- ROOT perennial, jointed, creeping* the thicknefs of a 
crow-quill, white, fometimes tinged with red, 
having nearly the fame aromatic lmell as the 
\ wild valerian. 
\ STALK a foot, or a foot and a half high, upright, un- 
branched, four-cornered, ftriated and fmootjj ; 
\ branches, few and ftriated. 
• LEAVES oppofite, the radical ones entire, ovate, obtufe, 
> thofe of the (talk Lew, pinnatifid, pinnas about 
twelve in number, veiny, and obtufely ferrated. 
\ FLOWERS forming a kind of corymbus, of a pink co- 
lour, and dioicous, the female flowers much 
the fmaileft. fig. 1. a female flower of its na- 
! tural fiz e.fig. 2. a male flower.- 
; BRACTEAE numerous, lanceolate, placed beneath the 
i flowers. 
• Female Flower. 
\ CALYX fcarce any, being only a prominent rim fur- 
rounding the top of the germen, fig. 7. 
: COROLLA monopetalous, the tube gibbous on the under 
fide, and containing honey ; the limb divided 
into five fegm?nts, which are blunt and nearly 
l equal; rudiments of Antheras are vilible within 
• the tube. fig. 1 . 
; PISTILLUM : Germen placed below the corolla, ovate, 
flat, grooved, nearly the length of the corolla ; 
Style white, fomewhat thickened near the 
top, a little longer than the corolla, oblique ; 
Stigma trifid. fig. 6, 7, 8, 9. 
'■ SEED of an ovate oblong lhape, and pale brown colour, 
[ a (ingle rib on one fide, and three on the other, 
f crowned with a feathery down, fig. 1 1 , 12,13. 
\ Male Flower. 
f CALYX and corolla the fame as in the female, fig. 2. 
j; STAMINA: three Filaments filiform, longer than 
f the corolla; Anthers white, or pale red, 
l fig- 5 - an imperfeft Piftillum in the center of 
1 each flower, fig. 10. 
There are few plants in which nature fports more than in the Valerians, even out of the four fpecles which we 
have growing wild with us, otic is monandrous, viz. the rubra, and another- dioicous as the prefent. Thefe deficiencies 
in their clalfical chara&er are however the lefs to be lamented, as they furnifh excellent fpecific diftinctions. 
Tfte dioica is found only in wet and boggy fituations ; in the meadows and ofier-grounds about Batterfea it grows 
abundantly; its bloflbms before they open are of a bright red colour, and being colle&ed into fmall heads, are very 
confpicuous among the herbage in the month of April; in June and July it produces its downy feeds, which, for 
their beauty and lingular manner of expanding their pappus or down, are highly deferving the attention of the 
curious. ’ 
The roots having a fimilar fmell, and probably the fame medicinal virtues, as the officinal Valerian, maybe fub- 
ftituted in lieu thereof, if neceflary. 
What Scopoli aflerts of this plant is fo contrary to the common opinion of botanifts and our own obfervations, 
that we cannot forbear tranferibing his own words ; they will either prove that his obfervations are not to be 
depended upon, or that this plant puts on a very different appearance in Carniola than it does in the other parts of 
Europe. 
“ Millena fpecimina examinavi et nunquam vidi flores dioicos, fed nunc omnes hermaphroditos, nunc filamento 
“ uno above caftrato inftru&ds, nunc mafculos et femineos in eadem planta, ita tamen ut mafculi flores con- 
“ tinerent rudimeiAtim germinis et ftyli; fine feminibus vero perfedis nullam ha&enus inveni plantam.” 
