Common Valerian

Dipsacales

Valerianaceae (Valerian)

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Pale pink, 5 petals. The tiny flowers form dense round clusters. The buds are darker than the flowers themselves.

The fruit is an egg-shaped seed with a plume.

The leaves grow together in opposite pairs along the stems. They are stalked. The leaves are compound with between 7 and 13 leaflets. The leaflets are either toothless or have slightly toothed margins.

2 meters tall.

The seeds are edible but prolonged use may lead to addiction so caution is necessary. In the past, the leaves have been used as a condiment.
Never consume a wild plant unless you are 100% certain that it is safe to eat and you know that you have identified it correctly.

Flowers are sweet-scented.

All-heal, Amantilla, Belgian Valerian, Capon's Tail, Cat's Valerian, Cut-finger, Cut-heal, Cut-heal, English Valerian, European Valerian, Fragrant Valerian, Garden Heliotrope, Garden Valerian, German Valerian, Great Wild Valerian, Greek Valerian, Hardy Heliotrope, Heliotrope, Herb Bennet, Hercules' All-heal, Indian Valerian, Medicinal Valerian, Mexican Valerian, Musk Root, Pacific Valerian, Setewale, Setwall, Setwell, St George's Herb, Summer Heliotrope, Vandal Root, Wild Valerian.

Ditches, grassland, marshes, meadows, riverbanks, scrub, waterside, woodland.