Lily of the Valley – Convallaria Majalis

Lily of the Valley (convallaira majalis) is one of those delicate flowers that everyone seems to love. I get so many requests for photos of Lily of the Valley that I finally took some time to edit some photos that I’ve taken over the years. I don’t think I have what will be a Lily of the Valley photo that I start making prints of – but at least I’ve got a few to share with you.

Lily of the Valley has beautiful little white bell shaped flowers that bloom in the late spring. The flowers grow on a stems with between 5 and 15 flowers per stem. Each flower is only a few millimeters in diameter. The plants can grow as tall as 30 centimeters. It is a member of the Asparagaceae family.

Lily of the Valley is native to Europe and Asia. There are also some that are found in the Appalachain mountains here in the United States – but no one is sure if the ones found here are native plants or ones that naturalized after being brought from Europe.

All parts of Lily of the Valley – including the flowers and the red berries that grow later in the year – are highly poisonous. Eating just a small amount of Lily of the Valley can cause vomiting, abdominal pains and reduced heart rates.

I hope you enjoy seeing my photos of the Lily of the Valley.