Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest, where endemic to the Wenatchee Mountains and adjacent areas.
Habitat: Rocky, open slopes, often on basalt, at mid-elevations in the mountains
Flowers: May-June
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Perennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Bees, flies, sawflies
Fibrous-rooted perennial from a stout, branched rhizome, the unbranched stem short-hairy below, 1-5 dm. tall.
Leaves opposite, usually glabrous; basal leaves petiolate, the blades well-defined, broad, without lobes, wavy margined, up to 5.5 cm. long and 3.5 cm. wide; cauline leaves sub-sessile, 1-4 pairs, pinnatifid, with the terminal lobe up to 6 cm. long and 2.5 cm. wide, the 1-2 pairs of lateral lobes usually smaller.
Inflorescence compact, terminal, 3-6 cm. wide; calyx enlarging and spreading, with 11-16 plumose, bristle-like segments; flowers all perfect; corolla united, white, 11-18 mm. long, the 5 lobes about as long as the tube; stamens 3, equaling the corolla lobes; ovary inferior, with two of the three cells vestigial.
Fruit an achene, 5-7 mm. long, glabrous, narrowly lanceolate.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Valeriana columbiana in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Valeriana columbiana checklist entry
OregonFlora: Valeriana columbiana information
E-Flora BC: Valeriana columbiana atlas page
CalPhotos: Valeriana columbiana photos