Valerian
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Valerian. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
the type genus of Valerianaceæ; an order of herbs of rarely shrubs belonging to the division of monopetalous dicotyledons having the stamens arising from the petals. The order is distinguished from its congeners by the opposite leaves; small irregular flowers in which the corolla lobes are imbricate; stamens, one to three or five, free; ovary one to three celled, one cell oneovuled; ovule pendulous; seeds exalbumi- It contains 12 genera and about nous. 190 species, distributed through Europe, and northern Africa, temperate Asia, sia, northwestern America - unknown in Australia, and only one species south African. The properties are aromatic, antispasmodic, sometimes stimulant. The genus Valeriana numbers 130 species. Of these, V. officinalis, ranging across northern and central Europe and Asia to Japan, is a common British plant. Its rootstock has long been valued as an antispasmodic, and is successfully employed in hysteria. It has a penetrating odor, and a bitter, acrid, somewhat aromatic taste; when distilled with water it yields a volatile oil and valerianic acid. Cats have a strange liking for the odor, and it exercises a remarkable intoxicating or stimulating power over them; the plant is sometimes called cats' valerian. The roots of V. celtica are used by Eastnations as a substitute for spikenard for aromatizing their baths, and those of V. edulis as an article of food by the Indians of northwestern America. The valerian (V. pyrenaica), a native of southern France and Spain, has become naturalized in parts of Great Britain, and several other species are commonly grown in gardens. The word valerian is from Latin valere, "to heal," and one of the names of V. officinalis is "all-heal."
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a genus of plants giving its name to the valerian family. There are a hundred species--herbs and shrubs. The common valerian is a native of Europe and northern Asia. The flower is fragrant. It has five-lobed white or pinkish corollas growing in terminal clusters at the summit of the stem. The stem is surrounded by a cluster of pinnate toothed leaves growing directly from the root. Oil of valerian is obtained from the roots. It has a pungent, agreeable odor, pleasing to cats and many wild animals. Trappers of mink and other animals of the cat tribe often rub their traps or bait with it. The oil is used also as a remedy for nervous diseases, especially hysteria and epilepsy. The thickened roots of an edible valerian were formerly a staple food of the Digger Indians of the Rocky Mountain region.