General:
Perennial herb from a stout rhizome or branched stem-base with fibrous roots; stems smooth except short-hairy at the nodes, 30-120 cm tall.

Leaves:
Basal leaves few, pinnately cleft with 1-2 pairs of lateral segments; stem leaves opposite, larger, with 1-4 pairs of lateral segments, enlarged terminal segment up to 10 cm long and 7 cm wide, usually coarsely toothed, leaves becoming short-stalked upwards.

Flowers:
Inflorescence a compact, flat-topped cluster with usually male/female flowers; corollas white or pink, 4.5-7 mm long, lobed, the lobes 1/2 as long as the tube; calyces with 12-18 feathery segments; stamens well exserted.

Fruits:
Achenes, egg-shaped to more oblong, 3-6 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, smooth.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Valeriana sitchensis subsp. scouleri (Rydb.) F.G. Mey.
Valeriana sitchensis subsp. sitchensis
Valeriana sitchensis var. hookeri (Shuttlw.) G.N. Jones
Valeriana sitchensis var. scouleri (Rydb.) M.E. Jones