FLORA OF ICELAND elements: Valeriana sambucifolia, Hill Valerian, Hagabrúða

Valeriana sambucifolia; The Hill Valerian is the indigenous valerian on Iceland. It grows scattered along the south coast of Iceland. The introduced Common Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) can be found occasionally in gardens. These two valerians are hard to distinguish. In fact many botanical expertsd believe the Hill Valerian is a subspecies of the Common Valerian (Valeriana officinalis ssp. sambucifolia). Both forms have powerfull natural sedatives in their root stocks. The inflorescences resemble the inflorescences of the carrot family. They are however, not at all related to the Umbellifereae's (carrot family).
Valerians were considered to be member of their own Valerian family (Valerianaceae). Recently, botanists have come to the conclusion that they are in fact members of a larger family the Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). The Icelandic name of this species is Hagabrúða.