Jepson Herbarium
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Annual, perennial herb, occasionally strongly scented, odor generally unpleasant.
Leaf: simple to pinnately lobed or compound; petioles generally sheathing; basal ± whorled; cauline opposite, petioled to sessile.
Inflorescence: cyme, panicle, or head-like, generally ± dense.
Flower: generally bisexual; calyx fused to ovary tip, limb 0 or lobes generally 5–15, coiled inward, plumose in age, pappus-like, spreading in fruit; corolla radial to 2-lipped, lobes generally 5, throat generally > lobes, > tube, base generally spurred or swollen, tube slender, long or short; stamens generally 1–3, fused to petals; ovary inferior, chamber generally 1, or occasionally 3 but 2 empty or vestigial.
Fruit: achene, smooth, ribbed, or winged.
± 17 genera, 300 species: generally temperate, worldwide except Australia. Some species cultivated (Centranthus), some medicinal (Valeriana). [Bell & Donoghue 2005 Organisms Diversity Evol 5:147–159] —Scientific Editors: Douglas H. Goldman, Bruce G. Baldwin.

Key to Valerianaceae

Annual, glabrous to subglabrous.
Stem: generally erect, 5–80 cm, ×-section generally angled, branches 0–few.
Leaf: simple, basal and cauline, opposite, generally entire; basal short-petioled, spoon-shaped; cauline generally sessile, oblong to ovate or obovate.
Inflorescence: clustered, head-like or interrupted spike, terminal; bracts palmately divided into 3–5 linear segments.
Flower: calyx 0; corolla 2-lipped to ± radial and funnel-shaped, white to dark pink, tube base generally spurred; stamens 3.
Fruit: achene; body ± triangular, 2–4 mm, strongly winged or not, wings lateral, wide, ± glabrous to densely hairy.
5 species: w North America, sw South America. (Greek: spur) [Morey 1962 Ph.D. Dissertation, Stanford Univ] Self-fertile; large-flowered taxa cross- and self-pollinated, small flowered taxa self-pollinated only. Wing shape, color, hairiness vary in some species

Fruit: convex side keeled lengthwise, grooves few, small; winged or not, wings hairy near tip, near margins, or ± throughout, margin as thick as wing body.
2n=32. [Online Interchange]

Flower: corolla 1.5–3.5 mm, uniformly white to pink, ± radial to ± 2-lipped; spur a minute swelling, or slender, tip generally enlarged; undehisced anthers <= 0.7 mm.
Common. Coastal bluffs, open, partly shaded slopes; < 1900 m. California Floristic Province, Modoc Plateau;

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].

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Bioregions in which taxon occurs	Red area (if present) is the part of the bioregion lying between the upper and lower elevation limits of the taxon; markers link to CCH specimen records. If the markers are obscured, reload the page [or change window size and reload]. Yellow markers indicate records that may have georeferencing or identification issues.
Chart based on elevation range in Manual and elevations and coordinates of CCH records. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. Note: About half of the CCH records include both elevation and coordinates.	Map made in collaboration with Scott Loarie. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria. View all CCH records   CCH collections by month Duplicates counted once; synonyms included. Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa. Blue line denotes Manual flowering time.