![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Convallaria_majalis_inflorescence_-_Keila.jpg/640px-Convallaria_majalis_inflorescence_-_Keila.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Lily of the valley
Species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis ; /ˌkɒnvəˈleɪriə məˈdʒeɪlɪs/),[2] sometimes written lily-of-the-valley,[3] is a woodland flowering plant with sweetly scented, pendent, bell-shaped white flowers borne in sprays in spring. It is native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia and Europe.[4][5] Convallaria majalis var. montana, also known as the American lily of the valley, is native to North America.[6][7]
Lily of the valley | |
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Inflorescence | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Asparagaceae |
Subfamily: | Nolinoideae |
Genus: | Convallaria |
Species: | C. majalis |
Binomial name | |
Convallaria majalis | |
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Due to the concentration of cardiac glycosides (cardenolides), it is highly poisonous if consumed by humans or other animals.[8][9]
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).[10]