Valeriana capitata
Pall.
Caprifoliaceae
The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.
Common Name: Valerian
General Information
Valeriana capitata is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.
Known Hazards
Some caution is advised with the use of this plant. At least one member of the genus is considered to be poisonous raw[
161- Title
- Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Yanovsky. E.
- Publisher
- U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
- Year
-
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
] and V. officinalis is a powerful nervine and sedative that can become habit-forming.
Botanical References
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
North-western N. America.
Habitat
Boggy meadows and moist slopes in Alaska[
172- Title
- Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Schofield. J. J.
- Publisher
- Alaska Northwest Books; Alaska
- Year
- 2003
- ISBN
- 0882403699
- Description
- A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
].
Properties
Edibility Rating |  |
Medicinal Rating |  |
Habit | Perennial |
Height | 0.60 m |
Pollinators | Insects |
Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
]. Judging by the plants native habitat, it should also succeed in wet soils[
172- Title
- Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Schofield. J. J.
- Publisher
- Alaska Northwest Books; Alaska
- Year
- 2003
- ISBN
- 0882403699
- Description
- A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
].
Edible Uses
Seed - parched[
172- Title
- Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Schofield. J. J.
- Publisher
- Alaska Northwest Books; Alaska
- Year
- 2003
- ISBN
- 0882403699
- Description
- A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
].
Root - steamed for 24 hours[
172- Title
- Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Schofield. J. J.
- Publisher
- Alaska Northwest Books; Alaska
- Year
- 2003
- ISBN
- 0882403699
- Description
- A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
].
Medicinal
The whole plant, but especially the root, is antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, hypnotic, powerfully nervine, sedative and stimulant[
172- Title
- Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Schofield. J. J.
- Publisher
- Alaska Northwest Books; Alaska
- Year
- 2003
- ISBN
- 0882403699
- Description
- A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.
]. Use with caution[
21- Title
- The Herb Book.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Lust. J.
- Publisher
- Bantam books
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-553-23827-2
- Description
- Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
].
Other Uses
The dried root has been used as an incense[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed because it requires light for germination[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions in the summer if sufficient growth has been made. If the plants are too small to plant out, grow them on in the greenhouse or frame for their first winter and plant them out early in the following summer.
Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
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