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Common Valerian

Valeriana officinalis

Description:

Irish Name: Caorthann corraigh Valerian (Valeriana officinalis, Valerianaceae) is a hardy perennial flowering plant, with heads of sweetly scented pink or white flowers which bloom in the summer months. Valerian flower extracts were used as a perfume in the sixteenth century. This tall graceful perennial is found throughout the country growing beside rivers, canals and in meadows. The pale pink flowers (3-4mm long) are borne in dense, rounded clusters on thick, erect stems, blooming from June to September. Each corolla is tubular with 5 lobes and 3 long stamens. The lanceolate leaves are pinnate and toothed and the plant is branched in its upper half. This is a native plant and it belongs to the family Valerianaceae.

Habitat:

Happy in both damp and dry soil conditions but grows to a greater height (up to 2m) in damp places.

Notes:

Used as a medicinal herb for many centuries, the properties of Valeriana officinalis are used in preparations for insomnia. It is also commonly known as Wild Valerian.

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7 Comments

pamsai
pamsai 10 years ago

thanks Ruby, RiekoS, and Leuba.

Ursula
Ursula 10 years ago

yes, i know pamsai! i've posted to that group as well!

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 10 years ago

lovely ...so that's what it looks like ! now I can sleep even better !!

pamsai
pamsai 10 years ago

thanks Ursula, I added it to that mission. Had it added to a medicinal plants mission before, but it turned out to be from Costa Rica when the Noah team had edited it!

RiekoS
RiekoS 10 years ago

Not only beautiful, but also useful. Great.

Ursula
Ursula 10 years ago

if you want you can add it in this mission-medicinal plants in eu: http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/2096...

RubyPrakash
RubyPrakash 11 years ago

beautiful pamsai

pamsai
Spotted by
pamsai

Ireland

Spotted on Jul 10, 2012
Submitted on Jul 11, 2012

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