Beaked Corn-salad
Valerianella radiata
Click or tap the section titles below to learn more about this species!
CLASSIFICATION: What’s in a name?
Scientific Name: Valerianella radiata. The genus, Valerianella,refers to the genus’ superficial similarity to another group of plants, the valerians.
Common Name: The common name for the genus, corn-salad refers to its presence as a weed in agricultural fields.
Family: Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle family) Plants in the honeysuckle family typically have leaves opposite each other on the stems. The flowers are radially or bilaterally symmetrical and tubular in shape, with 4 or 5 stamens and 4 or 5 petals. The fruit may be a capsule or berry. Familiar species in this family include the honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.), teasel (Dipsacus fullonum), and ornamental shrubs Abelia, Kolkwitzia and Weigela.5
IDENTIFICATION: What does it look like?
Average Height: 4-24 inches
Description: A winter annual plant that grows from fibrous roots. Leaves are distributed both at the base of the plant and on the stems. The leaves are simple, the ones at the base of the plant being wider beyond the middle, and the stem leaves usually wider below the middle. Stem leaves may have a few teeth on either side. Like all corn-salads, it has opposite leaves and lacks leafstalks. The stem is branched, typically above ⅗ of the total height of the plant. The flowers and fruiting parts are clustered at the tip of the stem branches in rounded heads.1,7
Bloom time: Apr – May
Notes: This species is very similar to other species of corn-salad found in Virginia. At Riverview Park, the only other species present is the European corn-salad (V. locusta), which is typically smaller, and has smaller, pale blue flowers instead of white ones.
LOCATION: Where is it at home?
Range: Valerianella radiata is common across the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia, and is less common in the Mountains and Valleys, where it is widespread but restricted to lower elevations. It has a wide range across the Southeastern United States, from Florida west to Texas, north to southern Illinois and Maryland, with occasional populations north to New York.1,6
Geology/Soil: Typically found in nutrient-rich, sandy or loamy soils with at least some moisture.
Habitat: Valerianella radiata can be found in a wide array of habitats including floodplain forests, riverbanks, shores of ponds and lakes, trails, roadsides, meadows, and other ruderal habitats.4,6
CONNECTIONS: What are its relationships to other plants, animals, and humans?
Flora associations: This species can be found with a wide variety of native species of moist, often disturbed, sunny sites, such as poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), large-seed forget-me-not (Myosotis macrosperma), cleavers (Galium aparine), and common blue violet (Viola sororia), and many exotic weeds, including purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum), field garlic (Allium vineale), and the closely related European corn-salad (Valerianella locusta), discussed above.
Fauna associations: The flowers of this species serve as important early-season nectar sources for a wide variety of bees and butterflies. In the absence of insect pollination, they are capable of self-pollination as well.3
Human associations: none found.
We want these plants to thrive and for everyone who gets to visit the park to enjoy them, so remember – don’t pick flowers or other parts of the plant!!
Bibliography & Definitions
1 “2013 BONAP North American Plant Atlas. TaxonMaps.” Bonap.net, bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Valerianella. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
2 Allain, Larry. Valerianella Radiata Beaked Cornsalad Valerianaceae Valerianella Radiata. Oct. 2022.
3 Hilty, John. “Beaked Corn Salad (Valerianella Radiata).” Www.illinoiswildflowers.info, www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/corn_salad.htm. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
4 LeGrand, Harry , et al. “Vascular Plants of North Carolina.” Ncparks.gov, 2019, auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/species_account.php.
5 Native Plant Trust. “Family: Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family): Go Botany.” Gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/family/caprifoliaceae/#:~:text=Family%3A%20Caprifoliaceae%20%E2%80%94%20honeysuckle%20family&text=They%20are%20actinomorphic%20(radially%20symmetrical. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
6 Virginia Botanical Associates. “Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora | Search Results for Valerianella.” Vaplantatlas.org, 2024, vaplantatlas.org/index.php?s=valerianella&c=&do=search%3Aadvanced&search=Search. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.
7 Weakley, A.S., J.C. Ludwig, and J.F. Townsend. 2012. Flora of Virginia. Bland Crowder, ed. Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project, Inc., Richmond. Fort Worth: Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press, , pp. 1155-1157.
8 “BRIT – Native American Ethnobotany Database.” Naeb.brit.org, naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=valerianella. Accessed 2 Mar. 2024.
Definitions:
Ruderal: An ecosystem which results from heavy disturbance, or a species which colonizes disturbed ground or is characteristic of such conditions.
Winter annual: An annual which germinates in fall and overwinters as a seedling before flowering and setting seed rapidly in spring, then dying.