Leaf
Pierre Bonnet, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Red valerian
Centranthus ruber (L.) DC.
Also known as: Spur valerian, Jupiter's beard, Kiss-me-quick
Family: Caprifoliaceae
40 to 80 cm tall
Old walls, dry banks, gardens, poor soils even calcareous ones
Flowering: May – September
Full sun
Hardy to -15°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Extremely drought-resistant, it spontaneously colonises the tops of old stone walls.
🍃 Leaves
Oval, fleshy, glaucous, opposite
🌸 Flowers
Small pink-red spurred flowers in dense, very fragrant clusters
🍎 Fruits
Achenes topped with a feathery pappus
🪵 Bark
Upright clump, base sometimes woody
🗺️ Distribution
Southern Europe, Mediterranean basin; widely naturalised on old walls and rocky ground throughout France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Nectar-rich red spurred flowers, very attractive to butterflies (including the Swallowtail) and long-tongued insects.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Low walls, rock gardens, dry banks, borders; very free-flowering and easy, self-seeds readily.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity.
🌿 Other Caprifoliaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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