Centranthus ruber (L.) DC.
(Red Valerian, Spur Valerian)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesCentranthus ruber (Red Valerian, Spur Valerian)
GenusCentranthus (a genus of flowering plants)
FamilyCAPRIFOLIACEAE (honeysuckles, scabiouses and valerians)
OrderDIPSACALES (elder, honeysuckles, valerians, scabiouses and teasels)
SubclassEU-DICOTS (dicotyledonous flowering plants)
ClassMAGNOLIOPSIDA (flowering plants)
PhylumTRACHEOPHYTA (vascular plants)
KingdomPLANTAE (plants)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian, Spur Valerian) :
1: Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian, Spur Valerian)
27 Jul 2014 OSGR: SY67 50° 30’ N, 2° 30’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
in fruit, with last few flowers
Image 1: Plants - with ripening fruit and last few flowersImage 2: Plants - with ripening fruit and last few flowers (2)
2: Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian, Spur Valerian)
28 Jun 2010 OSGR: SY67 50° 30’ N, 2° 30’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
Image 1: Flowers - face view - close-up - enlargedImage 2: Flowers - side view - close-up - enlargedImage 3: Flowers - side view - close-up - enlarged (2)Image 4: Pollen grain - focused on outline - highly magnifiedImage 5: Pollen grain - focused on surface - highly magnifiedImage 6: Pollen grain - focused on surface - highly magnified (2)Image 7: Pollen grain - focused on surface - highly magnified (3)Image 8: Pollen grain - highly magnifiedImage 9: Pollen grain - highly magnified (2)Image 10: Pollen grain - highly magnified (3)Image 11: Pollen grains - magnifiedImage 12: Pollen grains - magnified (2)Image 13: Pollen grains - magnified (3)Image 14: Pollen grains - magnified (4)Image 15: Pollen grains - highly magnifiedImage 16: Pollen grains - microscope low magnificationImage 17: Pollen grains - microscope low magnification (2)Image 18: Pollen grains - microscope low magnification (3)Image 19: Pollen grains - microscope low magnification (4)Image 20: Pollen grains - microscope low magnification (5)Image 21: Pollen grains - microscope low magnification (6)Image 22: Pollen grains - microscope low magnification (7)Image 23: Pollen grains - microscope low magnification (8)
3: Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian, Spur Valerian)
9 Jun 2009 OSGR: SX95 50° 20’ N, 3° 30’ W Vice County: South Devon (VC 3) England
Range of colour forms
Image 1: Range of colour formsImage 2: Range of colour forms (2)Image 3: Range of colour forms (3)Image 4: Range of colour forms (4)Image 5: Range of colour forms (5)
4: Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian, Spur Valerian)
6 Sep 2003 OSGR: SW97 50° 30’ N, 4° 60’ W Vice County: East Cornwall (VC 2) England
Image 1: Inflorescence - side view - close-upImage 2: Inflorescence - top view - close-upImage 3: Inflorescence - top view - close-up (2)Image 4: Inflorescence - white form - side view - close-upImage 5: Infructescence - top view - close-upImage 6: LeavesImage 7: Leaves (2)Image 8: Leaves - close-upImage 9: Plant - close-upImage 10: Plant - in situImage 11: Flowers - side view - enlargedImage 12: Flowers - side view - enlarged (2)Image 13: Fruits with pappus - enlargedImage 14: Fruits with pappus - enlarged (2)Image 15: Fruits with pappus - enlarged (3)Image 16: Fruits with pappus - enlarged (4)Image 17: Fruits with pappus - enlarged (5)Image 18: Fruits with pappus - enlarged (6)Image 19: Fruit with pappus - enlargedImage 20: Inflorescence - side view - enlargedImage 21: Infructescence - side view - enlarged
5: Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian, Spur Valerian)
9 Jun 1975 OSGR: TQ20 50° 50’ N, 0° 20’ W Vice County: East Sussex (VC 14) England
Image 1: Plant

Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian, Spur Valerian) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian, Spur Valerian)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 6 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian, Spur Valerian)

A striking garden escape which flourishes on waste ground, cliffs and dunes, as well as walls and roadsides where it is often planted, particularly in the West Country.

There are four flower-colour forms: magenta, red, brick and white.

On summer evenings, the unpleasant smell of the flowers imbues Cornish lanes with a strong odour like stale dog dung.

The fruits are wind dispersed, with a feathery pappus like the ribs of an umbrella, which slowly unfurls as the fruit ripens.

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