Convallaria majalis ( /ˌkɒnvəˈlɛəriə məˈdʒeɪlɨs/), commonly known as the Lily of the Valley, is a poisonous woodland flowering plant native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia, Europe and in the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States.
It is possibly the only species in the genus Convallaria (or one of two or three, if C. keiskei and C. transcaucasica are recognised as separate species). In the APG III system, the genus is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae). It was formerly placed in its own family Convallariaceae, or earlier, like many lilioid monocots, in the lily family Liliaceae.
A limited native population occurs in Eastern USA (Convallaria majalis var. montana). There is, however, some debate as to the native status of the American variety.
Read more about Lily Of The Valley: Description, Taxonomy, Garden Use, Foodplant For Insect Larvae, Lily of The Valley Phenomenon, Toxicity, In Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the words lily of the, lily of, lily and/or valley:
“I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.”
—Bible: Hebrew The Song of Solomon (l. II, 1)
“I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.”
—Bible: Hebrew The Song of Solomon (l. II, 1)
“O ruddier than the cherry,
O sweeter than the berry,
O Nymph more bright
Than moonshine night,
Like kidlings blithe and merry.
Ripe as the melting cluster,
No lily has such lustre,
Yet hard to tame,
As raging flame,
And fierce as storms that bluster.”
—John Gay (1685–1732)
“As I went forth early on a still and frosty morning, the trees looked like airy creatures of darkness caught napping; on this side huddled together, with their gray hairs streaming, in a secluded valley which the sun had not penetrated; on that, hurrying off in Indian file along some watercourse, while the shrubs and grasses, like elves and fairies of the night, sought to hide their diminished heads in the snow.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)