Image: Common Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) - geograph.org.uk - 1143992

Description: Common Valerian (Valeriana officinalis). This native species, with its distinctive flowerheads, is common in this area of damp grassland, prone to occasional flooding, beside a cycle route near the western bank of the River Leven. (I examined the form of the leaves at the base of the stem to check that these plants were not the rather similar Marsh Valerian, V. dioica.) The flowers have a vanilla-like smell, and extracts from the root of this species have been used medicinally. Other common species beside this section of the cycle route include 1143994 and 1143996. [A large area drains into Loch Lomond, while only the River Leven flows from the loch (to the River Clyde), making the Leven one of Scotland's fastest-flowing rivers. Prolonged periods of rainy weather, especially when combined with a high incoming tide, can cause the Leven to flood in places.]
Title: Common Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) - geograph.org.uk - 1143992
Credit: From geograph.org.uk
Author: Lairich Rig
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