Practical
Plants

Valeriana obovata

Tobacco Root

a perennial member of the Valeriana genus in the family Valerianaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.2 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
dioecious
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plant is considered to be poisonous raw[3][7].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - cooked[5][9][11][3]. It requires a long steaming[15]. The Indians would slow-bake it for about 2 days[7]. A very strong and peculiar taste that is offensive to some people but agreeable to others[14][7]. The root can be cooked and then dried and ground into a powder[13][2]. Some caution is advised, see notes above on toxicity. Seed[4]. No more details are given but the seeds of other members of this genus are parched and then eaten.

Plant part
Root
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The whole plant, but especially the root, is antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, hypnotic, powerfully nervine, sedative and stimulant[4]. The crushed root has been rubbed on parts affected by rheumatism, swollen bruises, painful bleeding cuts and wounds[10]. The root has been used as a tapeworm medicine[10]. Use with caution[8].

Product or use
Antispasmodic
Product or use
Carminative
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Hypnotic
Product or use
Nervine
Product or use
Sedative
Product or use
Stimulant

Environment

Range
Western N. America.
Habitat
Open moist sites, moist meadows, ditches, swamps and prairies, sometimes on saline soils[12].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed because it requires light for germination[6]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions in the summer if sufficient growth has been made. If the plants are too small to plant out, grow them on in the greenhouse or frame for their first winter and plant them out early in the following summer. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  3. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩1↩2

  4. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩1↩2

  5. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  7. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

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  9. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

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  10. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2

  11. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  12. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

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  13. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

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  14. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

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  15. Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-486-23310-3

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