Others are used for flavoring food or for medicinal purposes. The small, fragrant flowers of these valerians may be white, pink, or rose. The most important species in this group is the common valerian, also called garden heliotrope. Oils made from the dried roots and rhizomes of this plant are used in medicine as a sedative and in cooking as a flavoring. Two species of annual valerians grown for their edible leaves are corn salad and Italian corn salad.
Corn salad has blue flowers and Italian corn salad has pink flowers.
Both are easily grown in spring and fall. Valerians belong to the valerian family, Valerianaceae. The scientific name for the common valerian is Valeriana officinalis. James E. Simon, Ph.D., Professor of Horticulture, Purdue University. How to cite this article.