Lily of the valley
| Lily-of-the-valley | |
|---|---|
| Inflorescence, Keila, Estonia | |
| Fruit, Poland | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Convallarioideae |
| Genus: | Convallaria |
| Species: | C. majalis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Convallaria majalis | |
Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis),[2][3] also written lily of the valley,[1] is a woodland flowering plant with sweetly scented, pendent, bell-shaped white flowers borne in sprays in spring. It is native in Europe and western and northern Asia.[4]
The former varieties Convallaria majalis var. montana (native to eastern North America) and Convallaria majalis var. keiskei (native to eastern Asia), are now split as the separate species Convallaria pseudomajalis,[5] and Convallaria keiskei,[6] respectively.
Due to the concentration of cardiac glycosides (cardenolides), it is highly poisonous if consumed by humans or other animals.[7][8]
Other names include May bells, Our Lady's tears, and Mary's tears. Its French name, muguet, sometimes appears in the names of perfumes imitating the flower's scent. In pre-modern England, the plant was known as glovewort (as it was a wort used to create a salve for sore hands), or Apollinaris (according to a legend that it was discovered by Apollo).[9]
- ^ a b Bilz, Melanie (2013). "Convallaria majalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T202965A2758291.
- ^ "Lily-of-the-valley Convallaria majalis L." PlantAtlas. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ Streeter, David (2010). Flower Guide. London: Collins. p. 650. ISBN 978-0-00-718389-0.
- ^ "Convallaria majalis L." Plants of the World Online. 2020-05-31. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ "Convallaria majalis var. montana H.E.Ahles". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ "Convallaria majalis var. keiskei (Miq.) Makino". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ "Lily of the valley: Guide to Poisonous Plants". Colorado State University. 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ "Lily of the valley: Safe and Poisonous Garden Plants". University of California. 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ Cockayne, Thomas Oswald (1864). Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft of Early England: Being a Collection of Documents, for the Most Part Never Before Printed, Illustrating the History of Science in this Country Before the Norman Conquest. London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, and Green. pp. 121.
glovewort.