Red Valerian

Centranthus ruber

Also known as Jupiter's Beard, Spur Valerian, Kiss-Me-Quick, Fox's Brush, Devil's Beard

At a glance

Family

Caprifoliaceae (formerly classified in Valerianaceae)

Type

Herbaceous perennial subshrub

Parts used

Young leaves and shoots (culinary); flowers (ornamental)

Size

2 to 3 feet tall and wide

Bloom

Late spring through late summer, in dense clusters of small star-shaped pink, crimson, or white flowers

Habitat

Dry banks, rocky slopes, and old stone walls, especially on chalky or limey ground

Acquisition

Grow or buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

✦

Edible spring greens

Beloved by pollinators

Thrives in poor soil

Long summer bloom

Traditional uses

✦

Red valerian has spent centuries as a beloved cottage garden and wall plant, prized for the way its roots wedge into old mortar and soften the look of a castle ruin or garden boundary. Native to the Mediterranean, it was carried northward by gardeners and soon escaped over every wall it was planted beside, becoming a familiar sight on English chalk cliffs and old town walls. In leaner seasons, cooks in parts of Europe gathered the young shoots before flowering and ate them raw in salads or briefly boiled like spinach, valuing them as an easy, self-renewing green. Its name causes some confusion, since despite the family resemblance in scent and appearance, it is not the same plant as true Valerian, and the two carry very different histories of use.

How to grow & use it

✦

🔒

The full apothecary for Red Valerian

Traditional remedies and step-by-step preparations, a complete growing guide, and how to harvest, dry, and store it, all unlocked with HerbLens Unlimited.

✦Remedies & preparations
✦ Growing guide
✦Harvest & storage

Unlock every plant

From under $6 a month. Free plant identifications always included.

Pairs well with

✦Corn salad (mâche)
✦Wild rocket
✦Chives

Substitutes

✦Corn salad (mâche)
✦Young dandelion greens

Choose it when

“For old stone walls that need softening, and tender spring greens gathered before the flowers rise.”

Did you know?

Although it carries the name valerian and even smells faintly like it, Centranthus ruber is not related to true Valerian, Valeriana officinalis, at all. Its old-world habit of colonizing crumbling mortar earned it the nickname Jupiter's Beard, and it is still a common sight tumbling out of the cracks in centuries-old stone walls across Europe.

Safety

Red valerian is generally safe and its young leaves have long been eaten as a pot-herb. Despite the name, it is not true valerian (Valeriana officinalis), and the two should never be substituted for one another.