300 Valeriana Officinalis Seeds | Medicinal Herb Seeds
 
 
Common Name: garden heliotrope   
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Native Range: Europe, western Asia
Zone: 4 to 7
Height: 3.00 to 5.00 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 4.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to July
Bloom Description: White to pale pink
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Naturalize
Flower: Showy, Fragrant
Leaf: Fragrant
 
 
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 1.5 metres (5 ft), it bears sweetly scented pink or white flowers that attract many fly species, especially hoverflies of the genus Eristalis. It is consumed as food by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species, including the grey pug.
 
 
Crude extract of valerian root has very well-established sedative and anxiolytic effects. It is available as a capsule in products that are sold to promote sleep
 
 
Noteworthy Characteristics
Valeriana officinalis, commonly called garden heliotrope, common valerian or all-heal, is a clumping perennial with scented leaves, stems, flowers and roots. It is native to Europe and western Asia, but has escaped gardens and locally naturalized in the northern U. S. and Canada. It typically grows in damp locations, but also can be found in drier soils. It often naturalizes along roads or in fields. It typically grows to 3-5' (less frequently to 6') tall, featuring a clump of deeply lobed basal foliage from which rise tall, slender, sparsely-leaved stems topped in June-July by highly fragrant, salverform, white to pale pink flowers in branched panicles (cymes to 2-4" wide). Leaves are odd-pinnate, each leaf having 7-10 pairs (plus terminal) of toothed, lance-shaped leaflets. Leaves are aromatic when bruised. Strong-smelling roots yield the drug valerian which has been used for many years in herbal medicines for treating a large number of problems including anxiety, restlessness and insomnia. Extracts have also been used in perfumes, herbal teas and for flavoring in a variety of food products. Plants are cultivated in Europe today for producing an over-the-counter tranquilizer.
 
 
Genus name comes from the medieval Latin name, possibly derived from the Latin word valere meaning to be healthy in reference to the plant's medicinal uses in nervousness and hysteria.