Valeriana acutiloba Rydb.

  • Authority

    New York Botanical Garden. Herbarium of Dr. Per Axel Rydberg. Purchased, 1899. Contributions from the New York Botanical Garden.

  • Family

    Caprifoliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Valeriana acutiloba Rydb.

  • Description

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    Species Description - A bright green plant with horizontal or ascending rootstock and polygamo-dioecious flowers. Fertile plant 4-5 dm. high: basal leaves entire with a short wing-margined petiole, 5-7 cm. long; blade spatulate or obovate, acute: stem-leaves usually 3 pairs, pinnately divided; lateral divisions lanceolate to Hnear, long acuminate; the terminal one large, oblanceolate or of the uppermost very small leaves linear-lanceolate, entire or saliently toothed: cyme dense, contracted, 2-5 cm. long and about as wide; glandular puberulent: bracts linear subulate, about 1 cm. long: flowers perfect; corolla funnelform, about 4.5 mm. long; tube proper about 1 mm.; fruit broadly ovate, about 4 mm. long: pappus about 7 mm.: staminate plant lower, 3-4 dm. high, with more sterile shoots, which have much longer leaves: stem-leaves usually only 2 pairs, less divided, with only 1-2 pairs of lateral divisions: cymes denser, flowers all or nearly all staminate: their corollas larger, 5-6 mm. long, more oblique; the limbs about 5 mm. wide.

  • Discussion

    This species has the dense cyme of V. capitata ; but the plant American relatives by the narrow, long-acuminate divisions of its stem-leaves. It grows in wet places, especially under snow drifts, at an altitude of 2500-3300 m.

    Colorado : Near Gray- Back Mining Camp, Sangre de Christo Range, 1900, Rydberg & Vreeland, 5576 (type, fertile plant); Mountain near Veta Pass, 5575 (staminate plants) ; Bear Creek Cafion, 1895, Ernst A. Bessey (Fertile) Pagosa Peak, 1899, C. F. Baker, 620.