Eastern valerian is an East Asian wildflower that bears flat-topped clusters of tiny yellow flowers on tall stems from summer into fall. It is not native to North America but is grown as a garden perennial in USDA zones 5–8. The plant has a strong, unpleasant smell, especially the roots. It is also called golden lace.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A clump-forming perennial 3–6 ft (1–1.8 m) tall and 1.5–2 ft (45–60 cm) wide. Tall stems may need staking.
- Leaves
- Glossy, dark green, opposite leaves deeply divided into lobes, 3–6 in (8–15 cm) long. They can turn gold in fall.
- Flowers
- Tiny star-shaped yellow flowers packed into wide, flat-topped clusters on long, see-through stems.
- Flowering time
- Summer to fall
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Sunny grasslands
- Forest edges
- Gardens
- Range
- Native to eastern Asia, from southeastern Siberia and Mongolia through China, Korea, and Japan to Vietnam. In the US it is known only as a garden plant.
- Preferred conditions
- Needs full sun (6+ hours a day) and well-drained but moist soil; plants grown in shade tend to flop.
Growing it
- Care
- Low maintenance and may self-seed. It is an of daylily rust, so it is best kept away from daylilies. Slugs and snails may chew young leaves.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- In Japan it is one of the Seven Flowers of Autumn and appears in the Man'yōshū, Japan's oldest poetry anthology, and in The Tale of Genji.
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