Convallaria majalis L.

Lily-of-the-valley (en), Muguet de mai (fr), Clochette des bois (fr), Muguet (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Asparagaceae > Convallaria

Characteristics

Lvs narrowly elliptic, to 2 dm, acuminate; scape 1–2 dm; raceme loose, secund; bracts small, lanceolate; pedicels drooping; fls white, fragrant, 6–9 mm; fr (seldom produced) red, 1 cm; 2n=38. Widespread in n. Eurasia, commonly cult. and escaped near gardens; also in rich mt. woods of Va., W.Va., N.C., and Tenn. May. The S. Appalachian plants, seemingly native, are only loosely colonial and are said to differ in other minor ways from the more densely colonial cult. and casually escaped plants.Sometimes treated as a distinct sp. under the name C. montana Raf. or C. majuscula Greene, they may reflect an early escape of a different phase of the sp. from cult.
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Plants 18--30 cm tall, glabrous. Petiole 8--20 cm; leaf blade abaxially glaucescent, elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 7--20 × 3--8.5 cm, base cuneate, apex subacute to acuminate. Scape slightly arching, 15--30 cm. Bracts lanceolate, 3--6 mm, much shorter than pedicel. Pedicel slightly curved, 0.6--1.5 cm, articulate apically. Perianth white, 5--7 × 5--7 mm; lobes ovate-deltoid, ca. 2 × 2 mm, 1-veined, apex obtuse. Stamens ca. 4 mm; filaments widened gradually toward base; anthers suboblong. Style columnar, 2.5--3 mm. Berry red at maturity, globose, 6--12 mm in diam. Fl. May--Jun, fr. Jul--Sep. 2 n = 38*.
A herb. It grows 18-30 cm tall. The leaf stalk is 8-20 cm long. The leaves are shiny bluish green underneath. They are oval to sword shaped and 7-20 cm long by 3-9 cm wide. The base is wedge shaped. The flower stalk is slightly curved and 15-30 cm long. The flowers are white. The fruit is a red berry 6-12 mm across.
Plants 1–3 dm. Leaves 15–50 × 2.5–13 cm; petiole 4–30 cm; blade 9–26 cm, strongly or weakly veined. Inflorescence bracts scarious, 4–20 mm. Flowers: tepals 6, white, midribs prominent, white or green, lobes 1–3 mm, with microscopic glands; pedicel 7–11 mm. Berries 1–9, 1–5-seeded, 6–12 mm. Seeds 3–4 mm. 2n = 38.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread endozoochory
Mature width (meter) 0.2 - 0.5
Mature height (meter) 0.15 - 0.3
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) 0.3
Root diameter (meter) 0.4
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It grows in moist places and shady hillsides between 800-2,500 m above sea level in north China.
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Dry shady woodland, usually on calcareous soils, and especially in ash woodlands.
Light 2-6
Soil humidity 3-7
Soil texture 1-4
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 3-7

Usage

The flowers are mixed with raisins and used to prepare wine.
Uses dye environmental use essential oil material medicinal ornamental poison wood
Edible flowers
Therapeutic use Cardiotonic agents (flower), Edema (flower), Heart diseases (flower), Freckles (flower), Sunburn (flower), Cardiotonic agents (rhizome), Diuretics (rhizome), Epilepsy (rhizome), Cardiotonic (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Emetic (unspecified), Nervine (unspecified), Antineoplastic agents (unspecified), Diuretics (unspecified), Parasympatholytics (unspecified)
Human toxicity very strong toxic (flower), very strong toxic (whole), very strong toxic (fruit)
Animal toxicity very strong toxic (flower), very strong toxic (whole), very strong toxic (fruit)

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) 60 - 365
Germination temperacture (C°) 14 - 18
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -40
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Convallaria majalis habit picture by raphaelh (cc-by-sa)
Convallaria majalis habit picture by raphaelh (cc-by-sa)
Convallaria majalis habit picture by Štěpán Šafář (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Convallaria majalis leaf picture by Svetlana (cc-by-sa)
Convallaria majalis leaf picture by Marcus Urdnot (cc-by-sa)
Convallaria majalis leaf picture by Klaudia Maskiewicz (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Convallaria majalis flower picture by Andreas Häusler (cc-by-sa)
Convallaria majalis flower picture by Archanaa Mignet (cc-by-sa)
Convallaria majalis flower picture by Fachhuber Jay (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Convallaria majalis fruit picture by Rolf Keller (cc-by-sa)
Convallaria majalis fruit picture by Friedrich von Herder (cc-by-sa)
Convallaria majalis fruit picture by skrendam (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Convallaria majalis world distribution map, present in Åland Islands, Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Belarus, Canada, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Micronesia (Federated States of), Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Sweden, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ukraine, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:533487-1
WFO ID wfo-0000764146
COL ID XYLW
BDTFX ID 18716
INPN ID 92282
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Convallaria majalis f. laminaris Convallaria majalis Convallaria scaposa Convallaria transcaucasica Polygonatum majale Convallaria fragrans Convallaria majalis f. prolificans Convallaria bracteata Convallaria latifolia Convallaria mappii Lilium-convallium majale Convallaria majalis var. laminaris Convallaria majalis var. prolificans Convallaria majalis var. rosea Convallaria majalis var. transcaucasica Convallaria majalis var. bracteosa Convallaria majalis var. latifolia Convallaria majalis var. variegata Convallaria majalis subsp. transcaucasica Lilium convallium Convallaria linnaei Convallaria majalis f. abchasica Convallaria majalis f. angustifolia Convallaria majalis f. latifrons Convallaria majalis f. latior Convallaria majalis f. mappi Convallaria majalis f. picta Convallaria majalis var. majalis