The Valerianaceae, or valerian family, of the order Dipsacales

Dipsacales

The Dipsacales are an order of flowering plants, included within the asterid group of dicotyledons.Under the Cronquist system, the order included Adoxaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Dipsacaceae, and Valerianaceae. Under the more recent Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, the circumscription of the order is...

 contains about 350 species in 7 genera. Plants are generally herbaceous and foliage often has a strong, disagreeable odor. They are found native in most regions of the world except for Australia. Some species are cultivated as ornamentals or used in herbal medicine for inducing relaxation and sleep.

The genera of this family along with some species follow:

• Centranthus
  Centranthus
  Centranthus is a flowering plant genus comprising herbs and subshrubs native to Southern Europe. It is in the Caprifoliaceae family. There are about twelve species in the genus...
  
  

C. ruber (Red Valerian, Spur Valerian or Red Spur Valerian)

• Fedia

F. cornucopiae (African valerian, Horn of plenty)

• Nardostachys

N. jatamansi (Spikenard

Spikenard

Spikenard is a flowering plant of the Valerian family that grows in the Himalayas of China, also found growing in the northern region of India and Nepal. The plant grows to about 1 m in height and has pink, bell-shaped flowers...

)

• Patrinia
  Patrinia
  Patrinia is a genus of herbaceous plants in the valerian family. There are about 17 species native to grassy mountain habitats in China, Siberia and Japan...
  
  

• Plectritis
  Plectritis
  Plectritis is a genus of plants in the valerian family. There are only three to five species. They are known generally as seablushes, and they are native to western North America. These are unassuming annual plants with thin, erect stems with few leaves and bearing a terminal inflorescence of flowers...
  
  

• Valeriana
  Valeriana
  Valeriana is a genus of flowering plants in the family Valerianaceae. It includes a number of species of which the best known is the garden valerian Valeriana officinalis...
  
  

V. dioica (Marsh valerian)

V. officinalis (Garden Valerian

Valerian (plant)

Valerian is a hardy perennial flowering plant, with heads of sweetly scented pink or white flowers which bloom in the summer months. Valerian flower extracts were used as a perfume in the sixteenth century....

)

• Valerianella
  Valerianella
  Valerianella is a genus of plant in family Valerianaceae. Many plants of this genus are known by the common name corn salad, although that name most often refers to Valerianella locusta.Here is an incomplete list of its species:...
  
  

V. locusta (Corn salad

Corn salad

Corn salad is a small dicot annual plant of the family Valerianaceae...

, Lamb's lettuce)