Hairy Valerian

• Start at ground level. The thick basal leaves are mostly undivided, with a conspicuous fringe of hairs along their edges. Botanists call this fringe ciliate.
• Follow the stem upward. Smaller, divided leaves grow in opposite pairs. Compare these with the basal leaves rather than judging the plant from one leaf alone.
• Look closely at the flowers. Tiny greenish-white, five-lobed flowers grow along an elongated, branching cluster called a panicle.

Flowers, insects & seeds

Hairy Valerian usually bears male and female flowers on separate plants—an arrangement called dioecy. Male flowers have three stamens; female flowers have a three-lobed stigma. Occasional flowers have both kinds of reproductive structures.

Small bees, flies and ants have been recorded visiting the flowers. A visitor is not necessarily an effective pollinator, but insect visits help explain why observing a flower cluster can reveal more than its color.

After flowering, small dry fruits develop feathery structures that can assist wind dispersal. This long-lived perennial reproduces by seed rather than spreading vegetatively. Not every mature plant flowers every year, so a count of blooming stems does not count the whole population.

A season of changes

In Wisconsin, look for flowers from May into early June and fruit from late June through July. Leaf characters can remain useful after the flowers fade. Try comparing a flowering stalk with a fruiting stalk in the photographs: what has changed, and which identification clues remain?

Habitat & conservation

Look for this plant in fens, meadows and prairies, often with calcium-rich soils. It favors open conditions, although it tolerates light shade. Loss of habitat, invasive plants and encroaching shrubs threaten populations. Wisconsin lists Hairy Valerian as a Special Concern plant.

Photograph the leaf edges and the whole plant in place. These views are more useful for learning its field marks than a flower close-up alone.

Compare similar plants

Garden Valerian has more deeply divided basal leaves. For Hairy Valerian, check the mostly undivided basal leaves and their hairy margins together. Flower color alone is not enough.

Understanding the name

Some references use Valeriana edulis subsp. ciliata instead of var. ciliata. These names refer to the Great Lakes plant featured here; western V. edulis subsp. edulis is a different regional taxon.

Select a photograph to open the slideshow.

Practice identifying flowers in the Wildflower Quiz, or explore more species in the Flower Guide.

Field photographs: Where’s Wildlife.

Wisconsin DNR · COSEWIC species report