Valeriana sitchensis Bong.
Sitka valerian
Caprifoliaceae (Valerian family)
(Previously in Valerianaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Sitka valerian
Caprifoliaceae (Valerian family)
(Previously in Valerianaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
© Gordon Neish (Photo ID #17988)
Species Information
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.
Illustration
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
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Valeriana sitchensis
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1590 | 5 | 2750 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
23 | 0 | 300 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
204 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
4 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
5831 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(84), BAFA(75), BWBS(2), CMA(24), CWH(54), ESSF(4176), ICH(217), IDF(3), IMA(33), MH(182), MS(203), PP(1), SBPS(6), SBS(267), SWB(53) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist streambanks, meadows, forests and avalanche tracks in all but the lowland zone; common throughout BC; N to AK, YT and NT, E to AB and S to MT, ID and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
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