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Convallaria majalis - L.
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Common Name
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Lily Of The Valley
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Family
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Convallariaceae
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Synonyms
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Convallaria bracteata. Convallaria fragrans. Convallaria latifolia. Polygonatum majale.
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Known Hazards
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All parts of the plant are poisonous[7, 10, 19]. However, the toxic principle is very poorly absorbed when taken orally so poisoning is unlikely to occur[65]. The leaves can be a mild skin irritant[22]. Overdose may lead to nausea, vomiting, stupor, colour perception disorders, and cardiac arrhythmias. Internal use preparations no longer considered safe [301].
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Habitats
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Dry shady woodland, usually on calcareous soils[7, 13, 17], and especially in ash woodlands[4].
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Range
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Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia to Spain east to N.E. Asia, Greece and the Caucasus.
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Edibility Rating
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Medicinal Rating
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Care
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Physical Characteristics
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Convallaria majalis is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 0.3 m (1ft).
It is hardy to zone 3 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, self.The plant is self-fertile.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry moist or wet soil.
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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:390_Convallaria_majalis.jpg |
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Habitats
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Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Ground Cover; Bog Garden;
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Edible Uses
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A wine can be prepared from the flowers, mixed with raisins[183].
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Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antianxiety; Antiarrhythmic; Anticonvulsant; Antispasmodic; Cardiotonic; Diuretic; Emetic; Febrifuge; Laxative; Poultice; Sedative.
Lily of the valley has a long and proven reputation in herbal medicine in the treatment of heart complaints. It contains the glycosides convallarin and convallamarin which are powerful cardiac tonics and diuretics and are also used in allopathic medicine[244]. However, because of the plants potential toxic properties it should never be used without expert advice[9]. All parts of the plant are antispasmodic, cardiotonic, strongly diuretic, emetic, febrifuge, laxative and sedative[4, 7, 9, 21, 46, 165, 222, 254]. The plant is usually harvested when in flower and can be dried for later use[4], though it is stronger acting when fresh[238]. The inflorescence is said to be the most active medicinally and is often harvested separately[4]. An infusion of the flowers and roots is a digitalis substitute (obtained from Digitalis species), though less powerful, that is especially useful in the treatment of valvula heart diseases, cardiac debility, dropsy and chronic lung problems such as emphysema[4, 222, 254]. Lily of the valley encourages the heart to beat more slowly, regularly and efficiently, at the same time it is strongly diuretic, reducing blood volume and lowering blood pressure[254]. Its effect is less cumulative than digitalis which makes it safer for elderly patients[238]. It is often prescribed combined with the fruits of Crataegus spp[238]. An ointment made from the roots is used in the treatment of burns and to prevent scar tissue[222]. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Convallaria majalis : Lily Of The Valley for arrhythmia, cardiac insufficiency, nervous heart complaints (see [302] for critics of commission E).
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Other Uses
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Dye; Essential.
An essential oil is obtained from the flowers[46, 171]. It is used in perfumery and for snuff[238]. A green dye is obtained from the leaves in spring[13, 14, 115]. A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves in autumn[14]. Plants can be grown as a ground cover in woodland shade or in a shrubbery[200, 208].
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Cultivation details
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Succeeds in almost any situation, including the dense dry shade of large trees[1, 4, 24]. Prefers a position in semi-shade in a moderately fertile well-drained moist woodland soil[200, 208]. Grows well in heavy clay, sand or chalky soils[208]. Dislikes pure clay soils and boggy sites[233]. Plants are hardy to -20°c or lower[200]. A polymorphic species[200]. It is a very ornamental plant, though it can become very invasive once it is established[28]. Plants can take a couple of years to become established[208]. There are several named varieties, selected for their ornamental value[233]. The flowers are sweetly scented[245]. Lily of the valley is occasionally cultivated as a medicinal plant for herbalists and allopaths. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233]. A good bee plant[4].
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Propagation
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Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe, otherwise in late winter, in a cold frame[164]. Germination, particularly of stored seed can be very slow, taking 2 - 12 months or more at 15°c[164]. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be allowed to grow on undisturbed in the pot for their first year. Apply a liquid feed during the growing season to ensure that the seedlings are well fed. Divide the young plants into individual pots when they die down in late summer and grow them on in pots in a shady position in a cold frame for at least another year before planting them out into their permanent positions when they are dormant[K]. Division in September[111]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
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 You can download this page as a PDF
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Botanical References
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17200
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Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
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[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
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Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
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[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
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[13]Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants.
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Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
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[14]Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs.
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A good herbal.
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[17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.
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A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
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[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
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Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
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[24]Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.
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Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.
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[28]Knight. F. P. Plants for Shade.
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A small but informative booklet listing plants that can be grown in shady positions with a few cultivation details.
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[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
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An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
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[111]Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials.
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A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
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[115]Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
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Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
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[164]Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4.
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Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
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[165]Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
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An excellent small herbal.
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[171]Hill. A. F. Economic Botany.
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Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.
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[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[208]Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover
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An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.
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[222]Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
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A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
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[233]Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
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A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
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[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
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[244]Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs
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Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.
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[245]Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World.
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An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
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[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
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An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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[301]Karalliedde. L. and Gawarammana. I. Traditional Herbal Medicines
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A guide to the safer use of herbal medicines.
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[302]From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Commission E
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_E
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Subject : Convallaria majalis
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