• Common name : Red Valerian, Jupiter’s Beard, Keys of Heaven, Fox’s Bush
• Scientific name : Centranthusruber
• Family : Valerianaceae
• Native land : South of England
The rootstock is perennial and very freely branching, enabling it to take a firm hold in the crevices in which it has once gained possession. The stems are stout, somewhat shrubby at the base, between 1 and 2 feet long, hollow and very smooth in texture. Both leaves and roots can be eaten, the leaves either fresh in salads or lightly boiled, the roots boiled in soups. It flowers the first year when grown from seed, and makes a great cut flower.
