VALERIANA Linnoei Gen. Plant. T riandria Monogynia.
Cal. o Cor. 1. petala, bafi hinc gibba, fupera. Sem. l.
VALERIANA dioica floribus triandris dioicis foliis pinnatis integerrimis. Lin. Syfi.Vegetab.Sp.Plfi,^.
FI. Suec. n. 35. , ;
VALERIANA foliis radicalibus petiolatis ovatis; caulinis pinnatis, fexu diftinfla. Haller. hiß. 208.
VALERIANA dioica. Scopoli FI. Cam. n. 40.
VALERIANA paluftris minor. Bauhin. p< 164.
VALERIANA minor. Ger. emac. 1075.
VALERIANA fylveftris minor. Park. 122..
Raii Syn.p. 200. Small wild Valerian, or Marfti Valerian. Hudfon. Fl. Angl. ed. 2.
p. 12. Lightfoot FI. Scot.p. 85.
RADIX perennis, geniculata, repens, craffitie pennae # ROOT perennial, jointed, creeping, the thicknefs of a
coracis,albida, rubore aliquando tin&a, odore * crow-quill, white, fometimes tinged with red,
fubaromatico. valerianae fylveftris. $ having nearly the fame aromatic fmell as the
$ wild valerian.
CAULIS pedalis aut fefquipedalis, ereaus, fimplex, te- | STA LK a foot or a foot and a half high, upright, un-
tragonris, ftriatus, lasvis ; rami pâuci, ftriati. $ branched, four-cornered, ftriated and fmooth;
Î branches few and ftriated.
FOLIA oppofita, radicalia integerrima, ovata obtufa, £ LEAVES oppofite, the radical ones entire, ovate, ob-
caulina pauca, pinnatifida, pirinis duodecim ft tufe, thofe of the ftalk few, pinnatifid, pinnae
circiter, venofis, obtufe ferratis. J about twelve in number, veiny, and obtufely
f ferrated.
FLORES fubcorymbofi, rubelli, dioici, femineis multo ^ FLOWERS forming a kind of corymbus, of a pink
minoribus 1. flor. femin. magn. na.t.fg. 2. ê colour, arid dioicous, the female flowers
flor. mafc. t much the fmalleft ; Jig. 1. a female flower of
I its natural fize ; Jig. 2. a male flower.
BRACTEÆ plurimæ, lanceolatae, floribus fubjeaæ. | BRACTEÆ numerous, lanceolate, placed beneath
the flowers.
Flos Femin. I F emale Flower. : /
CALYX vix ullus, margo fuperus, Jig. 7. | CA L YX fcarce ariy, being only a prominent rim furf*
• rounding the top of the germen, fig. 7.
COROLLA monopetala, tubus a latere inferiore gib- | COROLLA monopetalous, the tube gibbous on the
bus, ne6tariferus ; limbus quinquefidus, laci- under fide, and containing honey ; the limb
niis obtufis, fubaequalibus ; antherarum rudi- # divided into five fegments, which are blunt
menta intra tubum cernantur. % and nearly equal ; rudiments of Antheræ are
p vifible within the tube,.fig. 1.
PISTILLUM: Germen inferum, ovatum, compref- | PISTILLUM : G ermen placed below the corolla,
fum, fulcatum, longitudine fere corollas; St y - ovate, flat, grooved, ■: nearly the length of the
lus albus, fuperne paulo incraflatus, corolla f . corolla; Style white, fomewhat thickened
paulo longior, obliquus; Stigma trifidum, % near the top, a little longer than the corolla,
Jig, 6. 7 ,8 ,9 . f oblique ; Stigma trifid; Jig. 6, 7, 8, 9.
SEMEN ovato-oblongum, pallide fufcum, hinc cari- ‘f SEED of an ovate oblong fliape, and pale brown co-
natum, illiric trinerve, pappo pilofo corona- |s lour, a fingle rib on one fide, and three on
turn er. 11, 12, 13. f the other, crowned with a feathery down,Jig.
t • 11, 12, 13.. ,
Flos Masc. I M ale'F lower.
CALYX et corolla ficut in fem, Jig. 2. | CA L YX and corolla,the fame as in the female,/^, 2.
STAMINA: F il am e n t a tria, filiformia, corollalon- | STAMINA: three F il am e n t s filiform, longer than
giora; A n th e ræ albæ; feu pallide ruben- f the corolla; A n th e ræ white, or pale red,
tes, Jig. 5. Piftillum imperfeftum in centro | Jig. 5. an imperfeft Piftillum in the centre of
floris,7%. 10* $ each flower, Jig. 10. -
There are few plants in which nature fports more than in the Valerians, even out of the four fpecies which we
have growing wild with us, one is monandrous, viz. the rubra, and another dioicous, as the prefent. Thefe déficiences
in their claflical chara&er are however the lefs to be lamented, as they furnilh excellent fpecific diftin&ions.
The dioica is found only in wet and boggy fituations ; in the meadows and ofier-grounds about Batterfea it
grows abundantly ; its blofloms 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 fingular manner of expanding their pappus or down, are highly deferving the attention
o f the curious.
The roots having a fimilar fmell, and probably the fame medicinal virtues, as the officinal Valerian, may be
fubftituted in lieu thereof, if rieceflary.
What Scopoli aflerts of this plant is fo contrary to the common opinion of Botanifts and our own obfervations,
that we cannot forbearfubferibing his own words; they will either prove that his obfervations are not to be
depended upon, or that this plant puts on ft very different appearance in Carniola than it does in the other parts
I of Europe.
“ Millena fpecimina examinavi et nunquam vidi flores dioicos, fed nunc omnes hermaphroditos, nunc filar
“ mento uno aliove caftrato inftruftos, nunc mafculos et femineos in eadem planta, ita tamen ut mafeuli flores
■ “ confinèrent rudimentum germiniset ftyli; fine feminibus vero perfe&is nullam haftenus inveni plantam. ”