Valerian occidentalis, May 19, 2022
Common & scientific name
Western valerian, Valerian occidentalis
Family
Valerian, Valerianaceae
Location
Difficult Trail, 8,100’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
The way I distinguish this valerian from V. acutiloba, sharpleaf valerian, is as follows: western valerian characteristically has the three cymes (heads of flowers: kind of person-like, holding up two hands), while sharpleaf generally has one cyme; western doesn’t grown on steep, rocky slopes, like sharpleaf; western’s flowers tend to be white, while sharpleaf usually has a pinkish hue, and western is a bit larger/taller plant overall. Let me know if you have other/better ideas!