Wikipedia

Lily of the valley

For other uses, seeLily of the valley (disambiguation).

Lily of the valley(Convallaria majalis/ˌkɒnvəˈlɛəriəməˈdʒeɪlɪs/),[2]sometimes writtenlily-of-the-valley,[3]is a woodlandflowering plantwith sweetly scented, pendent, bell-shaped white flowers borne in sprays in spring. It is native throughout the cool temperateNorthern Hemispherein Asia and Europe.[4][5]Convallaria majalisvar.montana,also known as the American lily of the valley, is native to North America.[6][7]

Lily of the valley
Inflorescence
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Convallaria
Species:
C. majalis
Binomial name
Convallaria majalis
19th-century illustration

Due to the concentration ofcardiac glycosides(cardenolides), it is highlypoisonousif consumed by humans or other animals.[8][9]

Other names includeMay bells,Our Lady's tears,andMary'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 asglovewort(as it was awortused to create a salve for sore hands), orApollinaris(according to a legend that it was discovered byApollo).[10]

Description

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Berries

Convallaria majalisis aherbaceousperennial plantthat often forms extensive colonies by spreading undergroundstemscalledrhizomes.New upright shoots are formed at the ends ofstolonsin summer,[11]these upright dormant stems are often called pips.[12]These grow in the spring into new leafy shoots that still remain connected to the other shoots under ground. The stems grow to 15–30 cm (6–12 in) tall, with one or twoleaves10–25 cm (4–10 in) long; flowering stems have two leaves and aracemeof five to fifteenflowerson the stem apex.

The flowers have six whitetepals(rarely pink), fused at the base to form a bell shape, 5–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) diameter, and sweetly scented; flowering is in late spring, in mild winters in the Northern Hemisphere it is in early March. Thefruitis a small orange-redberry5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) diameter that contains a few large whitish to brownish colored seeds that dry to a clear translucent round bead 1–3 mm (0.04–0.12 in) wide. Plants areself-incompatible,and colonies consisting of a single clone do not set seed.[13]

Taxonomy

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In theAPG III system,the genus is placed in thefamilyAsparagaceae,subfamilyNolinoideae(formerly the family Ruscaceae[14]). It was formerly placed in its own family Convallariaceae, and, like manylilioid monocots,before that in the lily familyLiliaceae.

There are threevarietiesthat have sometimes been separated out as distinct species or subspecies by some botanists.[11][15]

  • Convallaria majalisvar.keiskei– from China and Japan, with red fruit and bowl-shaped flowers (now widely cited asConvallaria keiskei)[13][16]
  • C. majalisvar.majalis– from Eurasia, with white midribs on the flowers
  • C. majalisvar.montana– from the United States, maybe with green-tinted midribs on the flowers[17]

Convallaria transcaucasicais recognised as a distinct species by some authorities, while the species formerly calledConvallaria japonicais now classified asOphiopogon japonicus.[16]

Distribution

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Convallaria majalisis a native of Europe, where it largely avoids theMediterraneanandAtlanticmargins.[18]An eastern variety,C. majalisvar.keiskei,occurs inJapanand parts ofeastern Asia.A limited native population ofC. majalisvar.montana(synonymC. majuscula) occurs in theEastern United States.[19]There is, however, some debate as to the native status of the Americanvariety.[20]

Like many perennial flowering plants,C. majalisexhibits dual reproductive modes by producing offspring asexually by vegetative means and sexually by seed, produced via the fusion of gametes.[21]

Ecology

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Convallaria majalisis a plant of partial shade, and amesophiletype that prefers warm summers. It likessoilsthat are silty or sandy and acid to moderately alkaline,[22]with preferably a plentiful amount ofhumus.TheRoyal Horticultural Societystates that slightlyalkaline soilsare the most favored.[23]It is aEuroasiaticandsuboceanicspecies that lives in mountains up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in elevation.[24]

Convallaria majalisis used as a food plant by thelarvaeof somemothandbutterfly(Lepidoptera) species including thegrey chi.Adults and larvae of theleaf beetleLilioceris merdigeraare also able to tolerate thecardenolidesand thus feed on the leaves.[25]

Cultivars

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Variegatedcultivarearly in spring
Double-flowered 'Flore pleno'
'Rosea'

Convallaria majalisis widely grown ingardensfor its scented flowers and ground-covering abilities in shady locations. It has gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[26][27]In favourable conditions it can form large colonies.

Various kinds andcultivarsare grown, including those with double flowers, rose-colored flowers, variegated foliage and ones that grow larger than the typical species.[16]

  • C. majalis'Albostriata' has white-striped leaves
  • C. majalis'Green Tapestry', 'Haldon Grange', 'Hardwick Hall', 'Hofheim', 'Marcel', 'Variegata' and 'Vic Pawlowski's Gold' are other variegated cultivars[16]
  • C. majalis'Berlin Giant' andC. majalis'Géant de Fortin' (syn. 'Fortin's Giant') are larger-growing cultivars[16]
  • C. majalis'Flore Pleno' has double flowers.[16]
  • C. majalis'Rosea' sometimes found under the nameC. majalisvar.rosea,has pink flowers.[16]

Traditionally,Convallaria majalishas been grown in pots andwinter forcedto provide flowers during the winter months, both in potted plants and ascut flowers.[28]

Chemistry

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General chemical make-up of a cardiac glycoside

Roughly 38 differentcardiac glycosides(cardenolides) – which are highly toxic if consumed by humans or animals – occur in the plant, including:[8][9][29]

  • convallarin
  • convallamarin
  • convallatoxin
  • convallotoxoloside
  • convallosid
  • neoconvalloside
  • glucoconvalloside
  • majaloside
  • convallatoxon
  • corglycon
  • cannogenol-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside
  • cannogenol-3-O-β-D-allomethyloside
  • cannogenol-3-O-6-deoxy-β-D-allosido-β-D-glucoside,
  • cannogenol-3-O-6-deoxy-β-D-allosido-α-L-rhamnoside,
  • strophanthidin-3-O-6-deoxy-β-D-allosido-α-L-rhamnoside,
  • strophanthidin-3-O-6-deoxy-β-D-allosido-α-L-arabinoside,
  • strophanthidin-3-O-α-L-rhamnosido-2-β-D-glucoside,
  • sarmentogenin-3-O-6-deoxy-β-D-allosido-α-L-rhamnoside
  • sarmentogenin-3-O-6-deoxy-β-D-guloside
  • 19-hydroxy-sarmentogenin-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside,
  • 19-hydroxy-sarmentogenin
  • arabinosido-6-deoxyallose
  • lokundjoside

The odor of lily of the valley, specifically the ligandbourgeonal,was once thought to attractmammaliansperm.[30]The 2003 discovery of this phenomenon prompted research into odor reception,[31]but a 2012 study demonstrated instead that at high concentrations, bourgeonal imitated the role ofprogesteronein stimulating sperm to swim (chemotaxis), a process unrelated to odor reception.[32]

Toxicology

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All parts of the plant are potentiallypoisonous,including the red berries which may be attractive to children.[8][9][33]If ingested, the plant can cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and irregular heartbeats.[29]

Uses

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Perfume

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In 1956, the French firmDiorproduced a fragrance simulating lily of the valley, which wasChristian Dior's favorite flower.Diorissimowas designed byEdmond Roudnitska.[34]Although it has since been reformulated, it is considered a classic.[34][35]Because no natural aromatic extract can be produced from lily of the valley, its scent must be recreated synthetically; while Diorissimo originally achieved this withhydroxycitronellal,theEuropean Chemicals Agencynow considers it askin sensitizerand its use has been restricted.[36][37]

Other perfumes imitating or based on the flower includeHenri Robert's Muguet de Bois (1936),[38]Penhaligon'sLily of the Valley (1976),[34]andOlivia Giacobetti's En Passant (2000).[34]

Weddings and other celebrations

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Catherine Middletonwith bridal bouquet featuring lily of the valley

Lily of the valley has been used in weddings[39]and off-season can be very expensive.[40]Lily of the valley was featured in the bridal bouquet at thewedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.[40][41]Lily of the valley was also the flower chosen byPrincess Grace of Monacoto be featured in herbridal bouquet.[citation needed]

At the beginning of the 20th century, it became tradition in France to sell lily of the valley on internationalLabour Day,1 May (also calledLa Fête du Muguetor Lily of the Valley Day) by labour organisations and private persons without paying sales tax (on that day only) as a symbol of spring.[42]

Lily of the valley is worn inHelston(Cornwall, UK) on Flora Day (8 May each year, seeFurry Dance) representing the coming of "the May-o" and the summer. There is also a song sung in pubs around Cornwall (and on Flora Day in Cadgwith, near Helston) called "Lily of the Valley"; the song, strangely, came from the Jubilee Singers fromFisk UniversityinNashville, Tennessee.[43]

Folk medicine

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The plant has been used infolk medicinefor centuries.[44]There is a reference to "Lilly of the valley water" inRobert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novelKidnapped,where it is said to be "good against the Gout", and that it "comforts the heart and strengthens the memory" and "restores speech to those that have the dumb palsey".[45]There is noscientific evidencethat lily of the valley has any effective medicinal uses for treating human diseases.[8][29]

Cultural symbolism

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A Royal Vale cup and saucer decorated with a Lily of the valley motif

The lily of the valley was thenational flowerofYugoslavia,[46]and it also became the national flower ofFinlandin 1967.[47]

In the "language of flowers",the lily of the valley signifies the return of happiness.[39]

Myths and religion

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The name "lily of the valley", like its correspondences in some other European languages, is apparently a reference to the phrase "lily of the valleys" (sometimes also translated as "lily of the valley" ) inSong of Songs 2:1(שׁוֹשַׁנַּת הָעֲמָקִים).[48]European herbalists' use of the phrase to refer to a specific plant species seems to have appeared relatively late in the 16th[49]or 15th century.[50]TheNeo-Latintermconvallaria(coined byCarl Linnaeus) and, for example, the Swedish nameliljekonvaljderives from the corresponding phraselilium convalliumin theVulgate.

In culture

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  • Convallaria close-up
  • Convallarias inKemiin early June
  • Moldovan stamp
  • Finnish 10 penny coin with the Convallaria engraving
  • 1 May, byFranz Xaver Winterhalter
  • Lunner (Norway) municipal coat of arms

See also

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References

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  1. ^Bilz, Melanie (2013)."Convallaria majalis".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2013:e.T202965A2758291.
  2. ^Sunset Western Garden Book.1995. pp.606–607.
  3. ^BSBI List 2007(xls).Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland.Archived fromthe original(xls)on 2015-06-26.Retrieved2014-10-17.
  4. ^"Invasive Species Photo Gallery - Wisconsin DNR".dnr.wi.gov.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  5. ^"lily of the valley: Convallaria majalis (Liliales: Liliaceae): Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States".invasiveplantatlas.org.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  6. ^"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin".wildflower.org.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  7. ^"ITIS Standard Report Page: Convallaria majuscula".itis.gov.Retrieved2021-05-10.
  8. ^abcd"Lily of the valley: Guide to Poisonous Plants".Colorado State University. 2019.Retrieved29 July2020.
  9. ^abc"Lily of the valley: Safe and Poisonous Garden Plants".University of California. 2020.Retrieved29 July2020.
  10. ^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.
  11. ^ab"Convallaria in Flora of North America @".Efloras.org.Retrieved2012-04-30.
  12. ^Mills, Linn; Post, Dick (2005).Nevada gardener's guide.Nashville, Tenn.: Cool Springs Press. p. 137.ISBN978-1-59186-116-4.
  13. ^abOHARA, MASASHI; ARAKI, KIWAKO; YAMADA, ETSUKO; KAWANO, SHOICHI (2006). "Life-history monographs of Japanese plants. 6: Convallaria keiskei Miq. (Convallariaceae)".Plant Species Biology.21(2). Wiley:119–126.doi:10.1111/j.1442-1984.2006.00157.x.ISSN0913-557X.
  14. ^Chase, M.W.; Reveal, J.L. & Fay, M.F. (2009), "A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae",Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society,161(2):132–136,doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x
  15. ^Weakley, A. S. (2020).Flora of the southeastern United States.University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden. p. 281.(Download page)
  16. ^abcdefgRHS Plant Finder 2009–2010.Dorling Kindersley.2009. pp. 195, 196.ISBN978-1-4053-4176-9.
  17. ^A. S. Weakley does not list green midribs among the distinctive characteristics ofC. pseudomajalis,as he calls this taxon. –Weakley, A. S. (2020).Flora of the southeastern United States.University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden. p. 281.(Download page)
  18. ^"Liljekonvalj Blomningstid"(in Swedish).Retrieved16 May2018.
  19. ^"Convallaria majalis var. montana in Flora of North America".eFloras.org.
  20. ^Gleason, Henry A. and Cronquist, Arthur, (1991),Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada,New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, pp. 839–840. – In reply to Cronquist, A. S. Weakley points out that there is "a broad suite of morphological distinctions from EuropeanC. majalis"and thatC. pseudomajalis,as he calls this taxon, is typically found "on ridges remote from present or past habitations" which excludes the idea of the taxon stemming from garden escapes. – Weakley, A. S. 2020.Flora of the southeastern United States.University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden. p. 281 (Download page)
  21. ^Vandepitte, Katrien; De Meyer, Tim; Jacquemyn, Hans (February 2013)."The impact of extensive clonal growth on fine-scale mating patterns: a full paternity analysis of a lily-of-the-valley population (Convallaria majalis)".Annals of Botany.111(4):623–628.doi:10.1093/aob/mct024.PMC3605957.PMID23439847.
  22. ^"Lily of the Valley Planting Guide".easytogrowbulbs.Retrieved12 May2015.
  23. ^RHS Encyclopaedia of Perennials[full citation needed]
  24. ^Rameau, J. C.; et al. (1989).Flore Forestière Française.Institut pour le développement Forestier. p. 1023.ISBN978-2-904740-16-9.
  25. ^Whitman, Ann."Controlling Lily Leaf Beetles".Gardner's Supply Company.Retrieved12 May2015.
  26. ^"Convallaria majalis".RHS.Retrieved2020-04-17.
  27. ^"AGM Plants - Ornamental"(PDF).Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 22.Retrieved24 January2018.
  28. ^Journal of horticulture and practical gardening.1872. p. 378.Retrieved28 September2010.
  29. ^abcRoberts, Darren M.; Gallapatthy, Gamini; Dunuwille, Asunga; Chan, Betty S. (2016)."Pharmacological treatment of cardiac glycoside poisoning".British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.81(3):488–495.doi:10.1111/bcp.12814.ISSN0306-5251.PMC4767196.PMID26505271.
  30. ^Marc Spehr; Günter Gisselmann; Alexandra Poplawski; Jeffrey A. Riffell; Christian H. Wetzel; Richard K. Zimmer; Hanns Hatt (2003)."Identification of a Testicular Odorant Receptor Mediating Human Sperm Chemotaxis".Science.299(5615):2054–8.Bibcode:2003Sci...299.2054S.doi:10.1126/science.1080376.PMID12663925.S2CID45306091.Retrieved24 June2012.
  31. ^For exampleScienceDaily 2007
  32. ^Christoph Brenker; Normann Goodwin; Ingo Weyand; Nachiket D Kashikar; Masahiro Naruse; Miriam Krähling; Astrid Müller; U Benjamin Kaupp; Timo Strünker (2012)."The CatSper channel: a polymodal chemosensor in human sperm".The EMBO Journal.31(7):1654–1665.doi:10.1038/emboj.2012.30.PMC3321208.PMID22354039.See alsoScienceMag article
  33. ^"Poisonous plants: Lily of the valley".Ontario Poison Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children. 2015.
  34. ^abcd"Lily of the Valley Perfumes".Vogueslideshow.
  35. ^Patty. "Best Lily of the Valley Perfume – Muguet Guide".Perfume Posse,April 8, 2013.
  36. ^Turin, Luca; Sanchez, Tania (2018).Perfumes: The Guide 2018.Tallinn: Perfüümista ÖÜ. p. 304.ISBN978-9949-88-553-4.
  37. ^"Substance Infocard: 7-hydroxycitronellal".European Chemicals Agency.
  38. ^Morris, Edwin T. (1984).Fragrance: A story of perfume from Cleopatra to Chanel.New York: Scribners.ISBN978-0684181950.
  39. ^ab"Wedding Traditions & Trivia".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-07-15.Retrieved2012-07-23.
  40. ^ab"Lily of the Valley Stars in Royal Bridal Bouquet".Archived fromthe originalon 2019-06-08.Retrieved2012-07-23.
  41. ^Balcony kisses seal royal wedding
  42. ^"Lily of the Valley – May Day in France".wordpress. 26 April 2010.Retrieved24 June2015.
  43. ^Coleman and Burley, Hilary and Sally (2015).Shout Kernow.London: Francis Boutle Publishers. pp.53–55.ISBN978-1903427972.
  44. ^Weiss, RF (1988).Herbal Medicine.Ab Arcanum. pp.146–147.ISBN978-0906584194.
  45. ^Stevenson, RL (1886).Kidnapped.Cassell and Company.
  46. ^"Lily of the valley".flowers.org.uk.Retrieved24 June2015.
  47. ^"Lily of the Valley – Finland's National Flower".wordpress. 28 May 2013.Retrieved24 June2015.
  48. ^See alsoShoshanat HaAmakimvillage
  49. ^"Lily of the valley | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  50. ^Keil, Gundolf. „Es hat vnser libe fraw gesprochen in dem puch der libe: ‚Ich pin ein plvm des tals vnd auch des grvnen waldes' ": Die Einführung der Convallarin-Glykoside als Hinweis auf mährisch-schlesische Provenienz. In: Iva Kratochvilová, Lenka Vaňková (Hrsg.):Germanistik im Spiegel der Generationen. Festschrift Zdeněk Masařík.Opava/ Ostrava 2004, S. 72–132.
  51. ^Dunbar, Paul Laurence(1905)."Lily of the Valley".Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow.New York: Dodd, Mead & Company. pp.9–10.ISBN9781978194366.Retrieved2022-07-15.
  52. ^"Lilies of the Valley".Tchaikovsky Research.2022-07-12.Retrieved2022-07-16,citingPoznansky, Alexander (1996).Tchaikovsky. The quest for the inner man.Schirmer Books. pp.336–7.ISBN0028718852.
  53. ^"Lilies-of-the-Valley, 1916".Marc Chagall.2022.Retrieved2022-07-16.on display at theState Tretyakov Galleryin Moscow.
  54. ^"'Breaking Bad' Face Off (TV Episode 2011) ".IMDb(Plot Summary).Retrieved15 July2022.
  55. ^"Queen Elizabeth II: Poet laureate Simon Armitage marks death of monarch".BBC News.2022-09-13.Retrieved2022-09-13.
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