What features identify members of the Valeriana clade?

Within the Dipsacales order, the Valeriana clade—also known as the Valerianoideae subfamily—is identified by several distinct features:

• Odor: A characteristic rank odor is produced by the stems and leaves when they are dried.1
• Growth Habit: Members are typically herbs or small shrubs.1
• Flower Morphology: The flowers are small and range from regular to monosymmetric (bilaterally symmetrical) in shape, and they usually feature a spur.1
• Distribution: They are found in the Northern Hemisphere and in Andean South America.1

This clade contains approximately seven genera and 315 species, with the vast majority belonging to the genera Valeriana and Valerianella. While some species are prized for their fragrant flowers or medicinal properties—such as the sedative derived from the common valerian—the group as a whole is unified by these specific morphological and chemical traits.12