Centranthus ruber - Red Valerian

Family:	Valerianaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.9
Width:	0.6
Synonyms:
Range:	Europe. Naturalized in Britain[17].

Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.9m and a width of 0.6m . It has a hardness rating of 5and is vunerable to frost.
Red Valerian will flower in December to February. the seeds ripen from January to March
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Bees, lepidoptera

Soil Information

Red Valerian will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is / is important for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Red Valerian prefers either dry or moist soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Red Valerian should not be planted in shady areas.

Waste land, rocks, old walls etc[4].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Can be planted in Cultivated Beds
• Will grow in a hedge row
• In an East Wall

Cultivation Details

Grows well in ordinary moist, well-drained garden soil and on dry walls[1, 111, 200]. Prefers a sunny position[111], though it also succeeds in semi-shade[219]. Thrives on chalk[200], poor soils[188] and in sandy soils[187]. Established plants are drought tolerant[190]. This species is hardy to about -15°c[187, 200]. Plants are generally long-lived and grow especially well in maritime areas, where they are a common feature of hedgerows and walls[219, K]. A very ornamental plant[1], it attracts moths and butterflies[30]. The flowers have an unpleasant smell like perspiration[245].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 2/5
Young leaves - raw or cooked as greens[2, 5, 52, 115]. Exceedingly good, either in salads or cooked as a vegetable[4]. This differs from our own experience, whilst the leaves can be added to salads they are rather bitter and rather less than desirable[8, 183, K]. Root - cooked[4]. Used in soups[4].

• Leaves -
• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 1/5
Red valerian is sometimes confused in herbals and folk tradition with the true valerian (Valeriana officinalis). Whilst true valerian has a very strong action on the nervous system, this species has no known medical properties[244, 268]. The plant is nervine[148]. This report possibly confuses this plant with the true valerian, Valeriana officinalis, which is a very effective nervine.

• Nervine - Stimulates and calms the nerves.

Propagation

Seed - sow February to May in situ or as soon as it is ripe in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination is usually rapid. Division in spring. Cuttings, summer, in a cold frame.

Scented parts of the plants

Flowers : Fresh

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

The seeds were used in ancient embalming[89, 148].

• Miscellany - A rag-bag of items that are difficult to categorise.

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Huxley. A.
Author: Huxley. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Date of Publication : 1992

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