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Centranthus ruber
Also called Red Valerian, Jupiter's Beard, Spur Valerian, Fox's Brush, Kiss Me Quick, Bovisand Sailor, Pretty Betsy
Red valerian is a hardy, multi-stemmed perennial grown for its long-blooming clusters of red, pink or white flowers that attract bees and butterflies. It thrives in full sun and poor, free-draining soil, and it self-seeds readily, so deadheading helps keep it in check.
Valeriana rubra (synonym Centranthus ruber), the red valerian, spur valerian, kiss-me-quick, fox's brush, devil's beard or Jupiter's beard, is a popular garden plant grown for its ornamental flowers. It is not to be confused with the closely related Valeriana officinalis (the garden valerian).
They are pollinated by both bees and butterflies and the plant is noted for attracting insects. Flowering takes place in early summer and, in cool summer areas, continues sporadically throughout the summer and into fall. Red Valerian is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including angle shades. Fruits have feathery projections similar in appearance to the pappus of dandelion seeds that allow wind dispersal, and can self-seed freely and become invasive if not properly controlled.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Valeriana rubra by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
