throat bearded ; the lobes of the 4-parted limb slightly unequal, oval. Stamens
4, inserted into the tube of the corolla towards the base, included: anthers
subglobose. Ovary coherent merely with the base of the calyx, 2-
celled : style extremely short: stigma ovoid (large), entire. Capsule ovoid,
shorter than the persistent calyx, slightly compressed and didymous, 2-celled,
2-valved, loculicidal: placentas oblong, ascending from near the base of the
dissepiment, many-seeded. Seeds minute, angled, fliaphanous. “ Embryo
straight, in the axis of fleshy albumen.” Geertn— A glabrous dichotomously
much branched and diffuse annual herb, rather rigid ; with opposite subulate-
lmear leaves, connected on each side by an obscure stipular membrane.
Flowers small and inconspicuous, solitary and sessile jn each fork of the
branches, and terminal, subtended by one or two pairs of subulate bracts.
Corolla white.
P. procumlens (Linn. 1. c.)— Pursh, fl. 1. p. 99; Ell. sJc. 1. p. 200;
JJG. ! 1. c. P. Lirmsei, Michx. ! fl. 1. jp. 83. r
Dry fieHs and pastures, Virginia! to Florida! Key West! and Louisian?
iv{ay-b.ept. Stems numerous, procumbent or somewhat erect, 6-12
inches long; the angles minutely scabrous. Leaves about an inch long,
very minutely serrulate-scabrous on the margins, often fascicled in the axils,
.bracts similar to the upper leaves. Sepals with a green and rigid midrib
and subulate point, the border broad and scarious. Throat of the corolla
densely bearded: the 2 upper? lobes slightly shorter, and perhaps a little
divergent from the lower. Stamens equal. Capsule between crustaceous
and coriaceous ; the placentae oblong, nearly the length of the cells, covered
throughout with the very numerous seeds.
O rder LXXIV. VALERIANACEiE. DC.
Tube of the calyx adherent to the o v a ry ; the limb various, sometimes
forming a plumose pappus, occasionally obsolete. Corolla tubu-
lar-infundibuliform or obconical, often gibbous anteriorly or spurred;
the limb mostly 5-lobed, imbricate in aestivation. Stamens distinct,
inserted into the corolla, sometimes 5, more frequently 3 or 4 (the posterior
only, or this and one of the lateral ones being suppressed),
rarely 2 or reduced to a single one (the posterior) : anthers introrse.
Ovary mostly 3-celled, two of the cells empty, the third containing a
solitary suspended ovule : style filiform: stigmas 2-3, or united into
one. Fruit membranaceous or coriaceous, indehiscent, 1-celled, or
frequently 3-celled with 2 of the cells empty, sometimes 2-celled by
the confluence of the empty cells, 1-seeded. Seed anatropous, with a
membranaceous testa, destitute of albumen.—Herbs or sometimes
shrubs ; the perennial species with thick and odorous roots or rhizomas.
Leaves opposite, exstipulate, simple or divided. Flowers in dichotomous
cymes, at first often glomerate, frequently corymbose or paniculate.
Corolla white, rose-color, or blue, rarely purple or yellow.
1. VALERIANA. Tourn.; Linn. (excl. spec.); Neele, elem. 1. p. 122;
DC. mem. Valer., 8f prodr. 4. p . 632.
Limb of the calyx involute after flowering, at length evolute, forming a
plumose pappus of numerous setae, deciduous. Corolla obconical, or with a
cylindraceous tube, sometimes gibbous, but not spurred at the base; the
limb obtusely 5 - (rarely 3-4-) cleft, regular. Stamens 3. Fruit 1-celled
when mature (with no vestiges of the abortive cells), 1-seeded. Perennial
herbs or sometimes shrubby plants, with divided or undivided leaves. Flowers
cymose, the dichotomal flowers sessile; the cymules often paniculate or
glomerate. Bracts usually opposite. Corolla white, sometimes bluish or
rose-color.
Our species are all true Valerians (§ P h u , DC.), and are perennial herbs.
* Stems climbing or Punning.
1. V. scandens (Linn.) : herbaceous, glabrous, climbing and twining;
leaves on slender petioles, ternately divided ; the divisions ovate or oblong-
ovate, entire, the terminal one largest, mostly acuminate ; flowers (small) in
dichotomous diffuse or divaricate paniculate cymes, axillary and terminating
the branches; corolla very short; fruit glabrous or slightly hairy, 3-nerved
on one side, 1-nerved on the other.—Linn. spec. (ed. 2) 1. p. 47; Willd.
spec. 1. p. 180 ; DC. ! prodr. 4. p. 634.
Florida, Baldwin ! Dr. Leavenworth!—Stem slender, branching, climbing
to the height of 4 or 5 feet. Leaves membranaceous.
* * Stem erect: root or rhizoma somewhat creeping, fibriUose.
2. V. sylvatica (Herb. Banks.): glabrous; stem slightly striate, simple;
radical leaves ovate or oblong-spatulate, entire, or rarely with 2 small auri-
culate lobes, on slender petioles ; cauline ones pinnately divided; the divisions
lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, entire or obscurely serrate, the terminal
one larger; flowers all perfect and similar, numerous, in a compact cyme;
lobes of the stigma 2-3, minute; fruit ovoid, compressed, glabrous__
Richards.! in appx. Frankl. journ. ed. 2. p. 2 ; Hook.! fl. Bor.-Am. 1.
p. 291. V. dioica, Pursh, fl. 2. p. 727.
fl. uliginosa: leaves ciliate ; the surface also (as well as the stem) often
minutely pubescent; the terminal division frequently toothed.—V. sylvatica?
Beck! bot.p. 164.
Newfoundland, Banks ! On Clear-water River, in Subarctic America,
Richardson ! Prairies of the Rocky Mountains, (in about lat. 62° ?) Drummond!
p. In swamps, Fairhaven, Vermont, Dr. Robbins! Beck! Prof.
Tully! Wayne County, New York, Dr. Sartwell! Near Pontiac, Michigan,
Mr. George P. Williams! June-July.—Root having the odor of V.
officinalis. Plant 10-24 inches high. Divisions of the cauline leaves 5-11,
varying from oblong-ovate to linear-lanceolate, mostly acute. Corolla short,
obconical, gibbous at the base, rose-color.—The flowers of the northern plant
(var. a.) are no larger than those of V. dioica of Europe (to which Hooker
thinks the species is probably too nearly allied); but the plant from the
United States, besides the differences already indicated, has rather larger
flowers : the cyme, at first glomerate, is at length open and somewhat paniculate.
The fruit of the northern plant is unknown to us ; in that of the
United States it is glabrous, narrowly oblong-ovate, 3-nerved on one side,
and 1-nerved on the other. The leaves in the specimens communicated by
Mr. Williams are pubescent throughout.