Valeriana

Valeriana is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae,[1] members of which may by commonly known as valerians. It contains many species, including the garden valerian, Valeriana officinalis. Species are native to all continents except Antarctica, with centers of diversity in Eurasia and South America (especially in the Andes).

Valeriana
Garden valerian, Valeriana officinalis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Dipsacales
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Subfamily: Valerianoideae
Genus: Valeriana
L.
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Amblyorhinum Turcz.
    • Aretiastrum (DC.) Spach
    • Centranthus Lam. ex DC.
    • Dufresnia DC.
    • Fedia Gaertn.
    • Hybidium Fourr.
    • Locusta Riv. ex Medik.
    • Masema Dulac
    • Mitrophora Neck. ex Raf.
    • Ocymastrum Kuntze
    • Odontocarpa Raf.
    • Rittera Raf.
    • Saliunca Raf.
    • Valerianopsis C.A. Müll.

Taxonomy

The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus after the Roman emperor Publius Licinius Valerianus who was said to use the plant as medicine.[2]: 16  The emperor's personal name comes from Valeria and the Latin verb valeo which means "to be strong".[3][4]

Botany

Species from this genus are herbaceous and have woody roots. They grow vines with fine hairs and trifoliolate, pinnate leaves with serrated edges. They release a strong smell when they dry. Their flowers bloom from cymes.[5]

Fossil record

Fossil seeds of Valeriana sp, among them †Valeriana pliocenica, have been recovered from Late Miocene deposits of southern Ukraine, and from Pliocene deposits of south-eastern Belarus and Bashkortostan in central Russia. The fossil seeds are most similar to the extant European Valeriana simplicifolia (a subspecies of Valeriana dioica).[6]

Species
Main article: List of Valeriana species

As of December 2020, Plants of the World Online accepts over 420 species and hybrids, including:[1]

References
  1. "Valeriana L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  2. Ilieva, Iliana (30 March 2021). "Names of botanical genera inspired by mythology". GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 14 (3): 8–18. doi:10.30574/gscbps.2021.14.3.0050.
  3. Harper, Douglas. "valerian". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  4. Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879). "vălĕo". A Latin Dictionary. Perseus Digital Library.
  5. Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro (April 2020). "Caprifoliaceae" (PDF). Guide to the Genera of Lianas and Climbing Plants of the Neotropics. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.
  6. The Pliocene flora of Kholmech, south-eastern Belarus and its correlation with other Pliocene floras of Europe by Felix Yu. VELICHKEVICH and Ewa ZASTAWNIAK - Acta Palaeobot. 43(2): 137–259, 2003
  7. English Names for Korean Native Plants (PDF). Pocheon: Korea National Arboretum. 2015. p. 668. ISBN 978-89-97450-98-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2016 – via Korea Forest Service.


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