Convallaria majalis (Lily of the valley)

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Convallaria majalis L.

Lily of the valley, European lily of the valley

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Liliopsida	Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
Subclass	Liliidae	Includes lilies, orchids, and many others
Order	Asparagales	A diverse group that includes asparagus
Family	Asparagaceae	Agaves, asparagus, hyacinths, and others
Genus	Convallaria
Species	majalis

About plant names...

Native to temperate regions in Asia and Europe, lily-of-the-valley may also be native to the eastern United States, though it may also have been introduced there. They are not true lilies, and are in a class by themselves. There is something almost magical in delicate appearance of the small, bell-shaped flowers. They spread into clonal colonies via their root systems. They prefer the partial shade of forest floors in temperate regions.

Plants: Up to 6-12″ (15-30 cm) in height, consisting of one or two long, narrow leaves and a central stem with a raceme of flowers.

Leaves: Oblong or ovate-elliptic, about 4-10″ (10-25 cm) in length, with smooth edges and parallel veins.

Flowers: 5-15 white, bell-shaped nodding flowers hang along the upper length of the flowering stalk. Each flower looks like a small bonnet. They are usually white, and sometimes pink. They appear in April.

Fruits: Orange-red, ⅛-¼″ (5-7 mm) in diameter.

Edibility: Highly poisonous Skull & Crossbones , due to high content of the cardiac glycosides, convallarin and convallamarin.

Medical: The same cardiac glycosides that make this plant potentially deadly led to its past use as an herbal remedy for treatment of cardiac conditions.

From Köhler, Franz Eugen, Medizinal-Pflantzen, Gera-Untermhaus, FE Köhler, 1887.

9/8/2017 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)

9/4/2021 · Bradbury Mountain, Pownal, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)

6/2/2008 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 17 cm)

9/19/2013 · Harvard, Massachusetts · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm)

9/19/2013 · Harvard, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm)

It is pretty hard to confuse lily of the valley and Canada mayflower, also called false lily of the valley:

	You are here Convallaria majalis	*Maianthemum canadense*
Common Name	lily of the valley	Canada mayflower
Plant	6-12″ (15-30 cm) high	3-6″ (7.6-15 cm) high
Flowers	5-15 white, bell-shaped flowers hanging along the length of the flowering stalk. Flowers are usually white, rarely pink.	Flowers are less than ¼″ (6.3 mm), with four parts, stamens seemingly sticking out in all directions, on upright stems.
Leaves	One or two long, narrow leaves about 4-10″ (10-25 cm), with tapering, sharp tips and parallel veins.	One to three leaves, heart-shaped, 2-5″ (5-12 cm) long × 1-2″ (2.5-5 cm) wide.
Fruit	Berries are orange-red, ⅛-¼″ (5-7 mm) in diameter.	Note young fruits (left) and mature fruits. Green or bronze at first, with dark red or brown spots, about 1/16-3/16″ (3-5 mm) in diameter, becoming soft and dull red.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 3-8
Habitats	Shaded forest floors in temperate regions	Rich woods, damp mossy woods, in partial shade
Type	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Common	Common

Edibility: Poisonous Skull & Crossbones Lily of the valley contains chemicals that interfere with heart operation. All parts of the plant are considered poisonous.

Online References:

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Wikipedia

Missouriplants.com

Illinois Wildflowers

SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

EFloras