黑水缬草 hei shui xie cao

Valeriana amurensis f. leiocarpa H. Hara; V. officinalis Linnaeus var. incisa Nakai ex Mori.

Plants 80-150 cm tall. Rhizomes reduced; roots fascicled, 1-2 mm in diam. Stems solitary, erect, simple, hispidulous, glandular pubescent above. Leaves cauline, in 5-11 pairs; petiole of lowermost leaves to 4 cm; blade 9-12 × 4-10 cm, pinnatisect; segments 7-10, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, puberulent, margin coarsely serrate; upper leaves similar but smaller. Inflorescence capitate at anthesis, expanding in fruit; peduncles and pedicels glandular pubescent; bracts lanceolate or linear, glandular pubescent, apex acute or acuminate. Corolla rose, funnelform, 3-5 mm. Achenes triangular-ovoid, ca. 3 mm, hispid. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Jul-Aug.

Meadows, Larix or Betula forests. Heilongjiang, Jilin [Korea, Russia (Far East)].

Valeriana amurensis differs from V. officinalis only in having glandular hairs at the upper part of the stems, inflorescence rachises, and bracts. A population study is needed to clarify if V. amurensis is just a variant of the latter or a distinct species.