Marsh Valerian - Valeriana dioica
Short to medium height plant usually with several erect stems, slightly hairy at the nodes. Stem leaves pinnately lobed, mostly unstalked. Flowers pink, occasionally white, 2 to 4 mm in rounded clusters.
Common Valerian
Stoloniferous. Basal and stolon leaves are simple and entire; stem leaves pinnate with several lateral leaflets.
Photographs must show basal and stem leaves as well as flowers - this plant can't be verified from a picture of the flowers alone (RPR)
Wet places, on calcareous or slightly acid soils.
May to July.
Perennial.
Widespread in Britain as far north as the Firth of Forth.
Scarce in Leicestershire and Rutland, and declining due to habitat-loss.
In the Flora of Leicestershire (Primavesi and Evans 1988) it was found in 23 of the 617 tetrads, and in 9 tetrads in the Flora of Rutland (Messenger 1971).
In the VC55 checklist, (Jeeves 2011) it is listed as Native, marshes, now scarce.
| It is listed on the current VC55 Rare Plant Register (Hall and Woodward 2022) as Locally Scarce (i.e. present in 4-10 sites). |
David Nicholls
Ulverscroft
18 May 2012
David Nicholls
Owston Wood
14 June 2018
David Nicholls
Ulverscroft
18 May 2012
David Nicholls
Ulverscroft
18 May 2012
Robert Carter
Swithland Woods
11 May 2018
Marsh valerian; Swithland Woods
Barbara Cooper
Ulverscroft Nature Reserve
11 May 2017
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Species profile
- Common names
- Marsh Valerian
- Species group:
- Wildflowers
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Dipsacales
- Family:
- Caprifoliaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 9
- First record:
- 18/05/2012 (Nicholls, David)
- Last record:
- 12/07/2023 (Raval, Isobel)
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% of records within its species group
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