The Valerianaceae

Batsch August Johann Georg Karl Batsch (28 October 1761 – 29 September 1802) was a German naturalist. He was a recognised authority on mushrooms, and also described new species of ferns, bryophytes, and seed plants. Life and career Batsch was born i ...

, the valerian family, was a family of flowering plants that is now considered part of the

Caprifoliaceae The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous flowering plants consisting of about 860 species, in 33, to 42 genera, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Centres of diversity are found in eastern North America an ...

. Plants are generally herbaceous, and their foliage often has a strong, disagreeable odor. They are found native in most regions of the world except for Australia. Some species are cultivated as ornamentals or used in herbal medicine for inducing relaxation and sleep. The genera that were placed in this family, along with some species, include: * ''

Centranthus ''Centranthus'' is a flowering plant genus comprising herbs and subshrubs native to Southern Europe. It is in the family Caprifoliaceae. There are about twelve species in the genus. Some ''Centranthus'' are known as introduced species in other p ...

'' : ''C. ruber'' (

red valerian ''Centranthus ruber'', the red valerian, spur valerian, kiss-me-quick, fox's brush, devil's beard or Jupiter's beard, is a popular garden plant grown for its ornamental flowers. Description It grows as a perennial plant, usually as a subshrub ...

, spur valerian or red spur valerian) * ''

Fedia ''Valeriana'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, members of which may by commonly known as valerians. It contains many species, including the garden valerian, ''Valeriana officinalis''. Species are native to all contine ...

'' : ''F. cornucopiae'' (African valerian, horn of plenty) * ''

Nardostachys ''Nardostachys'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous flowering plants consisting of about 860 species, in 33, to 42 genera, with a nearly cosmop ...

'' : '' N. jatamansi'' (Spikenard) : '' N. chinensis'' * ''

Patrinia ''Patrinia'' is a genus of herbaceous plants in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). There are about 17 species native to grassy mountain habitats in China, Siberia and Japan. These are unassuming clump-forming perennial plants having thin, ...

'' * ''

Plectritis ''Plectritis'' is a genus of plants in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous flowering plants consisting of about 860 species, in 33, to 42 genera, with a nearly cosmopo ...

'' * ''

Valeriana ''Valeriana'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, members of which may by commonly known as valerians. It contains many species, including the garden valerian, ''Valeriana officinalis''. Species are native to all continen ...

'' : ''V. dioica'' (marsh valerian) : ''V. officinalis'' (

garden valerian Valerian (''Valeriana officinalis'', Caprifoliaceae) is a perennial flowering plant native to Europe and Asia. In the summer when the mature plant may have a height of , it bears sweetly scented pink or white flowers that attract many fly specie ...

) * '' Valerianella'' : ''V. locusta'' (

corn salad ''Valerianella locusta'', called mâche or mache; common cornsalad; or lamb's lettuce, is a small, herbaceous plant, herbaceous, annual plant, annual flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It is native to Europe, western As ...

, lamb's lettuce)

References

*Bell, C. D. 2004
Valerianaceae.
The Tree of Life Web Project. *Bell, C. D. 2004. Preliminary phylogeny of Valerianaceae (Dipsacales) based on nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution 31:340-350.
Jepson Manual Treatment for Valerianaceae
Jepson Online Interchange, Jepson Flora Project. {{Taxonbar, from=Q156682 Dipsacales Historically recognized angiosperm families