Lily of the Valley
Convallaria majalis
Family: Asparagaceae
What it is like
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.
There is one Convallaria species.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. It grows in moist places and shady hillsides between 800-2,500 m above sea level in north China.
Countries/locations it is found in
Albania, Asia, Austria, Balkans, Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, China, Czech, Denmark, Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Mongolia, Myanmar, Netherlands, North America, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Yugoslavia
How it is used for food
The flowers are mixed with raisins and used to prepare wine.
Edible parts
Flowers - drink
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
šmarnica