Common Valerian - Valeriana officinalis
Medium to tall plant to 1.5 metres. Leaves pinnate or pinnately lobed, toothed or untoothed, the lower long-stalked, the upper much smaller and unstalked. Flowers white or pinkish, 2.5 to 5 mm long, in almost rounded clusters
Marsh Valerian
Stem and basal leaves pinnate.
Photographs must show leaves as well as flowers - this plant can't be verified from a picture of the flowers alone (RPR)
Woodland clearings and ditches.
June to August.
Perennial.
Widespread throughout Britain, but not common.
Local, but declining due to habitat-loss.
In the Flora of Leicestershire (Primavesi and Evans 1988) it was found in 94 of the 617 tetrads, and in 13 tetrads in the Flora of Rutland (Messenger 1971).
In the VC55 checklist (Jeeves 2011) it is listed as Native; occasional, but locally frequent where it occurs
| It is listed on the current VC55 Rare Plant Register (Hall and Woodward 2022) because of its threat-level |
 Freeholt Wood Sapcote SP 4611 9390 (taken 23.7.2008).JPG)
Graham Calow
Sapcote
23 July 2008
David Nicholls
Charity Fields, Desford
25 June 2013. Freeholt Wood Sapcote SP 4611 9390 (taken 6.9.2007).JPG)
Graham Calow
Sapcote
06 September 2007
leaves
David Nicholls
Lea Meadows
07 July 2011
 Freeholt Wood Sapcote SP 4611 9390 (taken 23.7.2008).JPG)
. Freeholt Wood Sapcote SP 4611 9390 (taken 6.9.2007).JPG)
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Species profile
- Common names
- Common Valerian
- Species group:
- Wildflowers
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Dipsacales
- Family:
- Caprifoliaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 58
- First record:
- 03/05/2007 (Dave Wood)
- Last record:
- 04/07/2025 (David Dunham)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
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The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
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Latest images
Latest records
David Nicholls
Ratby Disused Railway
09 July 2011
Graham Calow
Burbage Wood
21 September 2016
David Nicholls
Lea Meadows
07 July 2011
Macrophya albicincta
The larvae of the sawfly Macrophya albicincta feed on Elder as do those of Macrophya ribis and Macrophya alboannulata, but only Macrophya albicincta is also reported as feeding on Common Valerian.
Uromyces valerianae
Uromyces valerianae is a gall-causing rust fungus affecting Common Valerian and Marsh Valerian. The small uredinia and telia are brown.