Valeriana (sitchensis)

jtrindle USDA NRCS - Corvallis Plant Materials Center 3415 NE Granger Ave Corvallis, Oregon 58413 (541)757-4812 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/orpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Valerianaceae
Family Common Name:	Valerian
Scientific Name:	Valeriana sitchensis Bong.
Common Name:	Sitka valerian; mountain heliotrope
Species Code:	VASI
Ecotype:	Mount Rainier National Park, Tipsoo Lake area
General Distribution:	Western US including Alaska; Idaho and Montana; moist places at mid and upper elevations in Cascade mountains.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	1-year containers
Time To Grow:	1 Years
Target Specifications:	well- developed rhizome, or caudex with many healthy fibrous roots supporting a healthy crown of basal foliage
Propagule Collection:	Ripe seeds collected generally when pappus-like "plumules" or plumose calyx appendages, are beginning to unfurl are best: seeds shatter and blow away easily once these have opened. However if collected too early we found incomplete seed fill.
Propagule Processing:	Air-drying seed on an open bench top in a warm room or greenhouse bench generally caused most of the seed "plumules" to unfurl as they dried; once dried these are easily rubbed off. Clean, air-dried seed weight in our lot was approximately 448,000 seed / lb.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Cold moist stratification is needed for this species. Seed lots were stratified by sowing into standard "1020" flats in Fisons' Sunshine #3 seedling starter mix; watered in and placed in polyethylene bags in a walk -in cooler at about 35 F. Our longest stratification time of 13 weeks yielded 4% germination; seeds stratified at 6 weeks or less had less than 1% germination within 6 weeks in a moderate greenhouse (70 to 80 F day / 60 to 65 F nights). A few stragglers germinated and grew slowly over the next few months after "final" seedling counts were taken. Longer stratification times should be tested for this species.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	At transplant time, seedlings were potted up into 4" square pots in a soil mix of 3 parts Fisons' Sunshine #1: 1 part "Black Gold" organic potting soil. This provided a richer, denser soil mix which was easier to keep at the higher moisture levels preferred by these plants.
Establishment Phase:	Seedlings were left in the "1020" flats for another month to 6 weeks after "germination phase" and fertilized with very low rates of Peters starter fertilizer (9-45-15) for the last few weeks in the flats.
Length of Establishment Phase:	3 months
Active Growth Phase:	These plants grow fairly slowly during the first season and were given low rates of fertilizer (Peters Triple 20 at 1/2 label rate) with soil moisture kept fairly high but at the same time plants needed good drainage to allow fine, fibrous roots to develop. Plants were moved out to a shadehouse in July when top growth began to take off.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	May to August
Hardening Phase:	Fertilizer was stopped in July; and in August plants were allowed to become somewhat drier between waterings. Shadecloth was removed at the end of August to allow for full sun acclimation.
Length of Hardening Phase:	August - September
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Plants can be shipped in their containers in early fall for outplanting; plants overwintered at the PMC fared better by storing in moist soil in a walk-in cooler rather than being left outdoors in a lathhouse. Overwintered plants required repotting into larger pots - 6" square, or 1-gallon cans, by the following spring.
Length of Storage:	Seed storage length unknown
Other Comments:	Limited vegetative propagation, by cutting large rhizomes with several growing crown points, was also successful for this species although seed propagation was preferred to avoid the need for digging up rhizomes from their native sites. Also handling the crowns seemed to cause drowsiness for some; and many find the pungent odor released from dividing the rhizomes to be unpleasant.
References:	Hitchcock , C.L. and A. Cronquist 1973 Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle Wa. USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Citation:

Flessner, Theresa R; Trindle, Joan D.C.. 2003. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Valeriana sitchensis Bong. plants 1-year containers; USDA NRCS - Corvallis Plant Materials Center Corvallis, Oregon. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/11/21). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.