What pollinates a lily of the valley. Types and varieties of lilies of the valley with photo flowers

The onset of spring brings not only a good mood, but also the sun, which shines and the first flowers. When spring takes over completely, lilies of the valley appear. Now on any site you can find what a lily of the valley looks like. It is not only perfect in its appearance, but in a smell that resembles spring, and even from it you may suddenly feel dizzy.

Description of Lily of the Valley Flower

Lily of the valley, called Convallaria majalis, refers to herbaceous plants. This is determined primarily by its structure. Stems (soft, resistant). They die off as soon as the flower ceases to bloom.

Bells. They have a specific, but very fragrant smell. Usually on one stem they can be counted from 6 to 20 pieces. Color can be or white or pink and white.

Lilies of the valley can be found in forests. But if you look at its appearance, for example, in the photo, it always seems that this flower is delicate, defenseless, and requires constant guardianship. But this is not so.

Lily of the valley - very strong flower, which easily takes root, multiplies rapidly, and even captures the territory for its reproduction. Drops temperature condition also do not scare him.

Recently, new types of lily of the valley have appeared, where the bells may have a purple-red color or flowers are similar to double ones. But while we see such flowers only in the photo. There is one more modern look: he has leaves painted in yellow stripes.

Lily of the valley begins to bloom in May, and this flowering lasts about 20-25 days. When the flowers have already faded, then on the stem tiny berries will appear, which then, in the fall, turn red. Rodents and birds adore these berries, considering them as a kind of delicacy.

On any flowerbed, the lily of the valley will look very beautiful even without flowering, since the leaves of this floral plant large and beautiful. This can be seen by looking at the lily of the valley flower in the photo. In general, the leaves of the lily of the valley are somewhat reminiscent of the ears of a fallow deer, hence the people got their other name “lily of the valley”.

Varieties of lily of the valley

If you turn to the botanists for help, they will affirmatively say that so far only one species of lily of the valley has been bred. And all those flowers that can be seen, for example, in the photo, are just its diversity.

But such subspecies are undoubtedly differ different characteristics : leaf shape, color and even bell size.

The following lilies of the valley are considered to be the most common in Russia:

May.
Transcaucasian.
Keiskey.
Silver.
Pink.

A variety of colors of lilies of the valley

All these species are active used in medicine for the treatment of many diseases. So, May lily of the valley was bred in the 18th century, and almost immediately its description appeared in magazines.

And then in 1737 he received such a name. The name of the flower came from latin language and means in literal translation "lily of the valleys."

Unfortunately, today this subspecies of lily of the valley is considered very rare and even listed in the Red Book. There is a belief that where such a flower settles, it quickly occupies the entire territory, but if only one of them is torn off, the whole blooming area immediately dies.

The thing is that there is less and less forest and the lily of the valley somehow disappears by itself. But people lose such beauty! To make sure of this, it’s enough to see photos of lily of the valley flowers, which usually decorate many sites on the Internet.

But not only deforestation has led to such a state of lily of the valley in our country. This, of course, is the result of the fact that a person collected it for a very long time as medicinal plants, but at the same time did not give anything in return (planting, care).

Lilies of the valley on personal plots and flower beds

It is very simple to grow a white lily of the valley on a flower bed or in flower beds, because it does not require any special care. Just for starters, so that the flower "takes root", must choose a placewhich is perfect for him.

For example, one that is hidden from the sun is best chosen somewhere under the trees. If the landing is successful, and the place meets the conditions of the lily of the valley, then it will delight its owners with beauty and aroma for a very long time.

If the place where it is planted is shady and cool, then it will bloom for almost five weeks. In this case, all the roots of a beautiful and fragrant flower plant usually grow together and begin to creep further, occupying the territory nearby.

Very often lilies of the valley are used to harmoniously arrange flower bedsmixing with other plants.

How to grow a lily of the valley

There are rules for both care and growing lily of the valley. It is known that this flower plant lives in one place for about 10 years. But for this it is worth taking care of the place itself, so that it is cool, and the soil is rich in organic matter.

Before planting lilies of the valley, it is necessary to prepare the soil. And for this you need to do the following:

dig up the soil (about 25 cm);
fertilize with manure, but not fresh, but such that it already has time to overtake (manure can be replaced with peat compost).

A good time to plant such a plant is considered autumn or early spring. As soon as the flower is in the ground, it follows it water hard until it is accepted.

Now a few words about the propagation of a fragrant plant. There are two ways to reproduce lily of the valley:

The seeds.
Rhizome (division).

If the flower propagates with the help of the rhizome, it stands from the roots cut small pieces 6-8 cm. But you need to choose those where there are kidneys that will rush up.

When such roots fall into the ground, it is worth making sure that they do not bend. You should also look so that the sprouts are on the surface, and the distance between them is at least 8 cm.

When propagating by seeds, one should know that no crop should be expected in the first year. This time is spent on the plant to go deeper into the ground. But already in the second spring, leaflets will appear, but only they will not open, but will be tightly pulled.

And the later the stronger the lily of the valley will rise, the more these leaves will open. The stronger the first leaf is revealed, the faster the second will appear.

At the same time, in the second spring, the rhizome also begins to grow, becoming thicker and occupying more and more territory.

Healing properties

It is always worth remembering that lilies of the valley are great drugbut only in reasonable hands. If a person does not know how to handle this plant, then he immediately turns into a poisonous drug.

Before using this excellent remedy for treatment, it is necessary to study what healing properties it has.

It is known that this plant began to be used for medical purposes as early as 1861. The first doctor to use it was S.P. Botkin. The structure of the plant includes glucose, as well as cardiac glycosides.

For the treatment of what diseases can this flower plant be used? In the first place will be the following diseases:

Nervous system.
Arrhythmia.
Cardiovascular diseases.
Fever.
Elimination of physical stress.
Rheumatism.
Headache.
Dropsy.
Epilepsy.

If it is incorrect to apply decoctions, infusions and medicines from this plant, then the body will be rendered not help, but huge damage done. If a person has kidneys, stomach problems, or a liver, then medications based on such a plant are strictly prohibited.

Lily of the valley is a beautiful-looking, aromatic plant that is delicious decorate any flowerbed or another area. But, having many medicinal properties, this plant can be poisonous to humans.

Therefore, you should never abuse drugs made on the basis of it, or use it on your own, without a doctor’s prescription. And yet: always when caring for lilies of the valley do not forget about safety and always wash your hands thoroughly!

May lily of the valley and the Red Book - these two concepts have long been a single whole. People’s love for a fragrant plant with small white bells gathered in elegant inflorescences brought the lily of the valley to the brink of extinction. It is believed that the appearance of lilies of the valley is a message about the arrival of summer. As a result, this plant has established itself on an alarming list of endangered species.

Systematics, signs and distribution

This plant belongs to the genus grassy. Scientists have long been trying to clean up the taxonomy of this single species of the genus. It would seem that here to restore - if the view is one, then there is nowhere to restore order.

However, the problem is that this species grows in regions remote from each other by insurmountable insulating barriers.

The range of lily of the valley is extensive. These plants can be found in almost all of Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, China, and North America.

The Russian part of the range is represented by the European part, the mountainous Crimea, Transbaikalia, the southern part of the Far East, including Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

Such a wide variation in growth sites forms isolation between different populations, which is the main factor in speciation. For this reason certain species recognized lilies of the valley Transcaucasian and mountain, as well as lily of the valley Keiske (Far East).

Short description May lily of the valley is as follows:

Perennial herbaceous plantreaching a height of 20-35 cm.
Reproduction is sexual and vegetative. The latter is due to the creeping rhizome, which in the upper layers of the soil hides pale bottom leaves, ready to begin active growth, as soon as the illumination of this place becomes optimal.
The root system is represented by many fibrous roots.
Overhead shoots are short. Their structure is simple. At the base of the shoot are grassroots leaves. They are followed by 2-3 large integral oblong-elliptic basal leaves. Between them there is always a large kidney on the rhizome.
Peduncle comes out of the corner of the grassroots. Inflorescence is a brush consisting of 7-18 flowers, turned in one direction. The stem is mostly leafless, sometimes small leaves may appear under the inflorescence.
The flowers are simple, frost-leaved, rounded bell-shaped. In length, the flower reaches no more than 8 mm, in width - 6 mm. Differ in gentle aroma. The color is always white, but slightly pinkish flowers are also found.
The fruits of the lily of the valley are a spherical berry, similar to lingonberries. Inside the fruit are two spherical seeds. Berries appear two months after flowering, that is, in June or early July.

This characteristic of lily of the valley allows them to be well identified without confusing it with other plants. Nevertheless, sometimes bouquets of flowers called pink lilies of the valley appear on the markets. They are sold at a higher price as more rare and original. However, these pink flowers have nothing to do with lilies of the valley. Most often, under the guise of lilies of the valley, wintergreens are sold. If at the same time you wrap the bouquet with lily of the valley leaves, you get pink lily of the valley that does not exist in nature.

Places of growth

Where do lilies of the valley grow? Yes, wherever there is or most recently there were broad-leaved, coniferous or mixed forests. Most lily of the valley glades can be found in mixed or deciduous forests.

The fact is that these plants love moderately moist soil rich in organic matter. In addition, they need good lighting, but with periodic shading.

All these conditions the best way combined at the forest edges and clearings. If lily of the valley glades are found in a meadow where there seems to be no forest, this means that a few years ago there were trees, a shadow and annually fallen leaves that formed a forest litter in which the lily of the valley grows well.

If on this place bouquets of lilies of the valley are constantly being collected, cows graze and agricultural bales are held annually, then lilies of the valley will soon be here. Cereals and sedges will come in their place. So these plants got into the Red Book.

The healing properties of the plant

Lily of the valley - a poisonous plant, and entirely. That is why it is so dangerous not to know which berries are edible and which are not. But the red fruit of the lily of the valley seems so delicious.

This plant contains a strong glycoside, convallatoxin. However, the presence of toxins is not a reason to refuse such medicinal plantlike a lily of the valley. After all, medicines are even made from dope and belladonna.

Preparations based on May lily of the valley are made from the terrestrial parts of the plant. Raw materials are collected at the very beginning of flowering, when the buds are just beginning to bloom. Inflorescences are cut at a level of about 3 cm from the location of the lowest flower. Leaves need to be cut at the level of the lower film plates. It is forbidden to immediately tear out the whole plant with the root. This will kill his rhizome, making further impossible. vegetative propagation.

Lily of the valley - a poisonous plant, and treated with poisons

You need to collect raw materials with clean hands so that then you do not wash the leaves and flowers. Water will reduce healing properties and provokes the appearance of putrefactive processes. Dried flowers with leaves in a ventilated area without access to direct sunlight.

The composition of lily of the valley grass includes:

flavonoids;
alkaloids;
cardiac glycosides;
steroidal saponins;
coumarins;
organic acids;
starch;
essential oil.

This composition allows the use of preparations from May lily of the valley with a whole complex of diseases. They are usually used to heal from:

cramping of any origin;
hypertension
liver disease;
cholecystitis;
dropsy in heart failure;
epilepsy;
paralysis;
spasmodic headaches;
thyroid disease;
edema of any origin;
cardiosclerosis;
fever
rheumatism;
neurosis;
chronic insomnia
bronchial asthma;
sore throat
myocardial dystrophy;
malaria.

With all these diseases, lily of the valley is used both in pure form and in combination with other ingredients.

Contraindications and side effects

If you are not confident in your knowledge, then it is better not to take up the collection of natural raw materials from lilies of the valley. Otherwise, your medicine may become poisonous.

It is necessary to use preparations from lily of the valley very carefully, observing all dosages of doctors.

Overdose of lily of the valley drugs causes a lot unpleasant consequences. These include:

nausea;
vomiting
heart rhythm disturbance (mainly bradycardia);
dizziness;
cramps
extrasystole;
noise in ears;
arrhythmia;
stomach ache;
dilated pupils;
irresistible drowsiness and weakness;
heart failure.

When the first signs of an overdose appear, urgently need to rinse the stomach, drink adsorbents, make an enema. However, all this is done before the arrival of the doctor. Do not hope that everything will work out, be sure to seek medical help. Otherwise, treatment with lily of the valley can cost you too much.

Preparations for diseases of the liver and kidneys, especially in the acute stage, are absolutely contraindicated: with exacerbation of myocarditis, any diseases of the digestive system, endocarditis, cardio and arteriosclerosis.

The popularity of lily of the valley is extremely high. It is grown as an ornamental plant in flower beds along with ephemeroids, epheimers and stunted perennials. However, in the most destructive way, its popularity affects those plants that live in nature. In May and early June, a real hunt for live merchants begins for cute flowers. Lily of the valley cleared so that seed regeneration becomes impossible, and this beautiful and so useful view gradually recedes to the most inaccessible places for a person.

May lily of the valley - Convallaria majalis L. - a perennial herb from the family of lily of the valley (Convallariaceae) with a horizontal thin rhizome. The aerial part of the plant, up to 30 cm high, consists of 2-3 basal leaves and a leafless trihedral flower arrow emerging from the sinus of the innermost leaf.
The leaves are bright green, oblong-elliptical, up to 20 cm long and 8 cm wide. Their elongated vaginas are located inside each other so that a formation similar to a stalk is obtained. His name is "false stem."
The flower arrow ends with a one-sided loose inflorescence-brush of 6-20 flowers. The flowers are fragrant, very beautiful, suspended on arched curved pedicels. Perianth is simple, corolla-shaped, white, bell-shaped, with 6 teeth bent outward at the top. Stamens 6. Pestle with upper ovary. It blooms in April - June, the fruits ripen in August - September. The fruit is a spherical red-orange berry with light round, ovoid seeds.
Plants grown from seeds bloom in the seventh year of life. In addition to seed, in lily of the valley vegetative propagation with the help of rhizomes is well pronounced, therefore it often forms thickets.

Lily of the valley spread

May lily of the valley is widespread in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere: in Eurasia and North America. Common in many areas of European Russia and Siberia. In the Far East, there is a close species-lily of the valley Keiske (Convallaria keiskei Miq.), Considered by many taxonomists as a species of May lily of the valley. Lily of the valley is a forest plant, grows in bright forests, forest ravines, at the edges and glades, and there is no such person who would indifferently walk past these beautiful and fragrant flowers.
Lily of the valley introduced into the culture as ornamental plant back in the 16th century. For growing in flower beds, large-flowered garden forms, varieties with pink and terry flowers, as well as with variegated yellow-green leaves.

Economic use of lily of the valley

Lily of the valley is a wonderful ornamental plant. Its flowers are distinguished by their exquisite shape and color, have a unique strong smell. The wild lily of the valley is collected mainly for bouquets, which causes significant damage to its natural populations. Lily of the valley flowers are a valuable raw material for the perfume industry. By distillation of fresh flowers, perfumers get essential oil, which is used to prepare original perfumes.
But especially a lot of lily of the valley is collected for pharmaceutical needs. Often the grass is used whole with flowers and leaves.

Features of the procurement of medicinal raw materials lily of the valley

The aerial part of the lily of the valley is collected during the budding and flowering of plants. It is cut with a knife, scissors or a sickle 3-5 cm from the surface of the soil. Plants need to be cut off, not picked, because even with careful picking, the kidneys on the rhizomes will inevitably be damaged, and the vegetative renewal and propagation of the lily of the valley is of great importance for preserving the thickets.
For the preparation of various galenic medicines, three types of lily of the valley raw materials are used: grass, separately leaves and separately flowers (more precisely, inflorescences along with the upper part of the flower arrow). When harvesting, you must immediately decide what type of raw material is needed. If you need leaves and flowers separately, then fresh raw materials are dried up before drying and dried separately. If you intend to use grass, then all the harvested mass is dried together.
For drying, raw lily of the valley is laid out on a clean litter in a thin layer. Dry in ventilated areas (often in living rooms), trying to gently flip the raw material daily, as it easily blackens and loses its presentation. Drying in the sun is completely unacceptable, as the sun's rays destroy the cardiac glycosides contained in the lily of the valley.
Dry flowers and leaves of lily of the valley can be stored in a dry place for 2 years. You can use fresh grass, but without preservation with alcohol it can not be stored for a long time.

The medicinal value of lily of the valley and methods of therapeutic use

Lily of the valley has long been used in folk medicine different nations. For the introduction into the scientific medical practice of any medicine, theoretical developments and their practical confirmation are necessary. And at the end of the 19th century in Russia, N.P. Epiphany first began to study the medicinal properties of lily of the valley in the clinic of the famous Russian doctor S.P. Botkin. Since that time, lily of the valley medicine has been used in scientific medicine. They are part of the State Pharmacopoeia of Russia and several other countries.
Lily of the valley is a universal favorite among many nations, it was revered as a symbol of spring, joy, fidelity, tenderness, the most beautiful human feelings. Poetic works were dedicated to him, tales and legends were composed about him.
The flower symbolized belonging to the medical class. Many picturesque and engraved portraits of the 16th-18th centuries, depicting doctors with a lily of the valley flower in hand, have been preserved. Among them are portraits of the great astronomer Nikolai Copernicus, who was also an excellent practitioner.
Preparations from lily of the valley are used to treat various heart diseases. The active ingredients are cardiac glycosides: convallatoxin, convallazide, etc. Lily of the valley glycosides normalize the activity of the heart and blood circulation, and have a general calming effect.
Designed by many dosage forms from raw lily of the valley, starting with ampoule solutions and ending with simple galenic medicines. They are prescribed for neurosis, heart disease, cardiosclerosis, heart failure, tachycardia, etc. Preparations from lily of the valley truncate and at the same time strengthen heart contractions and increase urination. In patients, shortness of breath decreases, pain disappears, cyanosis and swelling disappear. Extracts from lily of the valley raw materials - component many well-known drugs: valocormide, Zelenin drops and others that act directly on the heart.

Caution in dosage and accuracy in indications is required, therefore, any self-medication is fraught with a serious danger to the patient's health (and life itself).
The raw materials of the Far Eastern lily of the valley Keiske are used to obtain heart medicines along with the raw materials of the lily of the valley May. But from the aerial part (grass) of this plant, an original independent preparation, convaflavin, is obtained, which is the sum of flavonoids in tablets. It has a choleretic and antispasmodic effect and is prescribed for diseases of the liver and biliary tract.
The Latin name for the lily of the valley is a valley lily. In Russia, the lily of the valley was called: a shirt, a lily of the valley, washed grass, hare ears, a bath, a smoothie, a Voronets.
In Russia, lily of the valley has always been a popular drug. They wrote about his tincture: "There is more precious gold and it is prone to all ailments."
Lily of the valley was used for heart diseases, epilepsy, dropsy, and eye diseases.
In the old herbalist we read:
“There is bitterness grass; it grows in dark, dense forests with a leaf on the side, among them there is white color, a span growth. Pound and drink with nettle or mint grass or buttercups from a mortal hernia if your eyes hurt. "

In the home way, an infusion was prepared at the rate of 2-6 g of flowers per 1 glass of water and taken 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.

In England, the infusion of lily of the valley flowers on the water called "golden water" for a long time It was used for nervous disorders and headaches. This name came from the fact that they sold the infusion in gold or silver-plated bottles,
In countries of Western Europe with paralysis effective remedy Hartmann's water was considered. For its preparation, lily of the valley flowers were collected before sunrise, while they were still covered with dew. For colds and headaches, Schneiber snuff was used, consisting of fine lily of the valley powder and chestnut seed powder. In Bulgaria, lily of the valley is used for cardiac neurosis in elderly women, muscle inflammation, physical overwork, as well as diseases with heart damage. Baths with rheumatism are made from lily of the valley broth.
In ancient German herbalists for paralysis, lily of the valley flowers infused with wine were also recommended. Lily of the valley - a long-standing remedy for the epilepsy

Lily of the valley water (the recipe was described at the beginning of the XVIII century).
Take lily of the valley, insist on white wine, strain and take 1 teaspoon once or twice, as needed. Returns speech in tongues, heals gout, relieves heart pain and strengthens memory. L put the color in a glass dish, tightly be able to, stick it into the anthill and leave it for a month, then take it out; then you will see that the flowers let juice in, and store it in a vial; useful for sick and healthy men, as well as women.
With angina pectoris and cardiosclerosis, lily of the valley flowers are firmly crushed into a half-liter bottle to half. Top up with alcohol or vodka. Bury for 10 days in the ground. Take 5 to 15 drops, ascending, daily adding drop by drop.

Contraindications
Although lily of the valley preparations do not have a cumulative property, an overdose is dangerous, as with other cardiac agents. In case of an overdose, extrasystole, cardiac arrhythmias, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tinnitus and other signs of poisoning are possible. Gastric lavage in this case is one of the methods of providing first aid.
By the way, a carelessly thrown bouquet of lily of the valley can cause poisoning of farm animals.
It is undesirable to use lily of the valley preparations for gastritis and acute diseases of the liver and kidneys. Korglikon is contraindicated in organic changes in the heart and blood vessels, with acute myocarditis, endocarditis, with severe cardiosclerosis.
Lily of the valley ruled by Mercury and is healing for Gemini and Virgo.

Lily of the valley is perhaps one of the most romantic medicinal plants. This is a plant with quite large, noticeable and, most importantly, fragrant flowers. In addition, the name of this plant is given by the time when it blooms.

There are many legends about the origin of lily of the valley, and more specifically about its flowers. For example, a peculiar explanation is given in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about Snow White. We are used to reading it in an abridged version, however, in the authors, Snow White, running away from an evil stepmother, loses her pearl necklace in the forest. And it was from these little pearls that the flowers of the lily of the valley originated.

In his flowers, the elves hid from the rain, and these same flowers served as flashlights for the dwarves. The ancient Romans did not ignore this flower. For example, there is a legend about the goddess Diana - this is the goddess of the hunt, who once, having fallen into an unfamiliar forest, ran away from the fauns, and the drops of sweat that formed on her body fell to the ground and turned into white fragrant flowers.

May lily of the valley blooms in late May for 10 to 20 days, grows in deciduous forests, at forest edges, clearings, along the banks of streams and rivers. Lily of the valley - a poisonous plant, berries are especially toxic.

These wonderful flowers were loved by so many famous figures of science and art. For example, lilies of the valley were very fond of Sophia Kovalevskaya and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky even dedicated poetry to them. Everyone knows him as a brilliant composer, but few know that he was also a poet. Purchasing your own house to Klin, Pyotr Ilyich immediately planted the whole space with lilies of the valley. Lilies of the valley grow rapidly and occupy the entire area allotted to them. Therefore, when you come on an excursion to the house-museum of Pyotr Tchaikovsky in Klin, you will see that you are met by lilies of the valley.

And this delicate and fragrant flower is also called “tears of the mother of God.” It is believed that the tears of the Virgin, which she shed over her son, turned into these flowers.

In many old books you can find a portrait of Nicholas Copernicus, where he is depicted with a bouquet of lilies of the valley in his hands. It would seem that what these tender romantic flowers have to do with the great astronomer. The fact is that for his contemporaries, Copernicus was not so much an astronomer as a specialist in law and a very good doctor. And lilies of the valley at that time were considered a symbol of medicine.

Many peoples are very reverent and attentive to this plant. For example, in France annually on the first weekend of May there is a celebration of lily of the valley. And in Finland, this plant is considered almost a symbol of the state.

The Russian people gave many names to this plant. And as this usually happens, all these names correspond to some external signs of this plant. For example, there is such a popular name as “hare ears”. And indeed, two leaves are formed in the lily of the valley in shape a little resembling hare ears. It was also called “forest tongue” for the shape of a leaf blade, which in shape resembles a little language. And the lily of the valley was called “silver” for its surprisingly delicate and as if silver flowers.

The great Swedish botanist Karl Liney called the lily of the valley Lilium convallium, which means “lily of the valley”. Indeed, the lilies of the valley originally belonged to the lily family, after they were allocated to the Lily of the valley family, into a separate independent family. Now the taxonomists claim that the lilies of the valley belong to the eagle family.

The lily of the valley is the only one species - the Lily of the valley in May, although, again, many experts claim that these are several closely related subspecies. One of them lives in the Far East, the other in the Caucasus. But they are so close to each other externally that they practically do not differ. Is there some more garden forms, or varieties of lily of the valley, which differ not only in the size of the flowers, but even in their color.

Lilies of the valley grow abundantly throughout the northern hemisphere. They are found both in Eurasia and in North America. This plant is shade-tolerant and is very common in coniferous forests, in particular pine forests, and in mixed forests. But most of all the landscape in broad-leaved forests.

Lily of the valley is a perennial herbaceous plant up to 30 cm high. This plant forms a fairly powerful underground shoot of rhizome. The rhizome can be quite long, but it will not be thicker than the base of a goose feather. Lilies of the valley in this way multiply and spread. And in fact, the entire curtain of lilies of the valley can be one single organism that is connected to each other through these very underground rhizomes. Small thin roots are formed on these rhizomes, and buds are formed on them, from which overground shoots grow. That is why, if you harvest lilies of the valley as medical raw materials, they can not be pulled out of the soil. They must be cut off with a knife or scissors so as not to damage these rhizomes.

In the spring, as soon as the snow melts and the soil begins to warm up, tightly twisted lily of the valley crawl out of the ground. They form a powerful structure that pierces everything on the surface like a needle. And very often you can see that the dry leaves of another plant are put on the shoot. These are the leaves that the shoot simply stitched like a needle when it crawled to the surface. Most often, two leaves are formed at the lily of the valley, which is why the people call it “hare ears”, sometimes three leaves, but much less often. The leaves of the lily of the valley are broad-lanceolate and pointed at the end. Its leaves have different colors: on top they are dull, and on the bottom more shiny. Leaf venation is arched. This means that the veins are vessels through which nutrients move and water flows to the leaves, located parallel to each other from the lowest part of the leaf to the very top. This is a sign of a plant that belongs to monocotyledonous - these plants have one cotyledon in the seed. The leaves are located on a fairly long petiole and wrap it around like thin tubes: that is, they are embedded in one another. Such leaves are called enveloping. At the base closer to the ground, and most often hidden by litter and top layers soil, there are small translucent leaves. They are almost colorless and more reminiscent of scales. From the middle of this design comes a flower-bearing stalk.

The flower-bearing stalk of the lily of the valley is quite long and usually lifts the entire inflorescence above the leaves. The triangular stalk is not leafy, that is, naked. It may have scaly translucent leaves, but most often they are not. At its top is the inflorescence itself. This inflorescence is called a drooping brush - all the flowers in this inflorescence are inclined to one side.

The lily of the valley flower itself is not very large and usually its size does not exceed 8 mm. The flower consists of six fused petals forming a bell. In the middle there are six stamens, each of which carries pollen, and in the center is a pestle. It is from him that the lily of the valley fruit is subsequently formed.

The lily of the valley fruit is a brightly colored reddish-orange berry about 5-8 mm in size. These berries are poisonous, you can’t eat them. Nevertheless, some carnivorous canine mammals such as, for example, wolves and foxes can eat these berries without any harm visible to themselves.

The use of lily of the valley in medicine

At the time of Copernicus, the lily of the valley was considered a symbol of medicine for a reason. Back in those days, people were well aware that even poisonous plants can be used in medicine. Despite the fact that the substances contained in the lily of the valley are highly toxic, they began to use them back then.

In medicine, the aerial parts of this plant are used: this is a stem with leaves and flower-bearing shoots. All aerial parts of May lily of the valley contain a huge amount of cardiac glucosides. That is why preparations based on lily of the valley are most often used for cardiovascular diseases.

The same plant contains starch, sugar and some organic acids, for example, malic and citric. In addition, all parts of the lily of the valley contain a large amount of saponins.

May lily of the valley is recognized as the official pharmacology of thirteen countries of the world. This is not much and this is due, first of all, to the fact that lily of the valley preparations are very potent. In addition, they contain many toxic substances. In particular, it is an alkaloid called convalvatoxin. In medicine, lily of the valley grass, lily of the valley leaves and lily of the valley flowers are used. Most often, this entire plant is fully harvested during the flowering period.

Substances obtained from lily of the valley are the basis of most cardiotonic drugs, as well as drugs used as a choleretic agent for cholecystitis. Lily of the valley preparations contain a large number of glycosides, which are able to increase strength and reduce heart rate. That is why they are most often used for heart failure, tachycardia, as well as for acute chronic circulatory failure of the second and third types.

In folk medicine, lily of the valley was traditionally used in combination with valerian and hawthorn. It was used in the same way as in official medicine for diseases of the cardiovascular system, as well as for edema, thyroid disease, and even epilepsy.

Collection and harvesting of lily of the valley

Collect medicinal plants in the city, it is not recommended, because in these conditions, in addition to useful substances, they can also accumulate harmful ones. If you decide to stock up on this plant, then it is better to drive somewhere far away from major cities and produce harvestings there.

For medical purposes, it is best to produce lily of the valley raw materials during the flowering period - this is May - June. Again, this will depend on which forest you collect your raw materials from. In darker forests, lilies of the valley will bloom a little later. When you prepare the raw materials for drying, you need to cut it with scissors or a knife at a height of 3-5 cm from the ground. This is done, first of all, in order not to damage the rhizome that is in the soil. Lily of the valley, like any rhizome plant, spreads and propagates mainly in this way. And a damaged rhizome can cause great damage to the plant. Therefore, neither pull it out nor pull it out.

The cut plant must be dried on the day of collection. Drying the lily of the valley is necessary on the same day, because when wilting, many of the substances that make up its composition begin to gradually break down and the strength of the drug will be much weaker. Lily of the valley is usually dried in dryers at a temperature of 40 - 50 ° C. Previously, when there were no dryers, it was dried on special mesh pallets that were hung over stoves. At the same time, all the windows and doors were opened in the room in order to create a draft and to ventilate the room well. During drying, the raw materials are turned once or twice.

Finished raw materials should easily break in your hands. The time when this raw material can be used is approximately two years. If you harvest flowers separately, then this is only one year.

You also need to remember that the harvesting of raw materials should be done in dry weather and after the dew dries.

Lily of the valley - the plant is very poisonous, so when drying, make sure that its particles do not fall into any other herbs you harvest. Because it can lead to very unpleasant consequences.

Preparation of lily of the valley infusion

And, again, due to the fact that the plant is poisonous, in this article we will not give a single recipe regarding domestic use preparations of lily of the valley. But we will write about external use.

In folk medicine, an externally aqueous infusion of lily of the valley shoots is traditionally used. Use it for diseases of the eyes and joints.

To prepare the infusion, you need to take one tablespoon of dried shoots of lily of the valley and pour them with a glass of boiling water. Let it brew for several hours, then squeeze and bring to the original volume with water. This infusion is impregnated with gauze napkins, which are applied to sore joints. Let's hope that this recipe will help you, and will not lead to any negative consequences.

Ways to use lily of the valley

The methods of using May lily of the valley are very diverse and it is simply impossible to list them all. For example, in Asia, the rhizome of lily of the valley is used, and the lily of the valley itself practically does not grow there. Therefore, it is harvested in our country and in some other European countries, dried and sent to Asia. Thus, the rhizome of lily of the valley is a subject of export. In some states, lily of the valley flowers are picked and dried separately, crushed into fine powder and sniffed with a cold. And in Germany they prepare tincture of lily of the valley shoots on wine and are used for paralysis.

Lily of the valley is poisonous !!!

It is necessary to remind once again that the entire lily of the valley plant is poisonous. Be especially careful if you are walking with your children in the forest, especially in the second half of summer. Because for a small child, two to three lily of the valley berries can be a lethal dose.

Poisoning can be determined by the following signs: severe nausea, headaches, pain in the abdomen, darkening in the eyes. All these signs can be signs of poisoning by lily of the valley. The plant is so toxic that even drunk water in which there was a bouquet of lilies of the valley can be fatal.

The use of lily of the valley in gardening

I must say that in our time in everyday life lily of the valley is not so much a medicinal as an ornamental plant. Increasingly, they are planted in gardens. Many cultural varieties of lilies of the valley have already been invented. Among them there are plants with enlarged flowers, and with double flowers, and even with a pinkish color of the corolla. But the most interesting is the varieties with variegated leaves.

Lily of the valley is a shade-loving plant, therefore it is better to plant it in shaded areas of the garden. You can even plant a lily of the valley under a canopy of shrubs that dissolve foliage late. It is better to prepare the soil for lilies of the valley in advance. In principle, they endure both sandy and clay soilbut with large quantity humus. Therefore, in the place where you are going to plant lilies of the valley, pour a wheelbarrow of last year’s foliage a year before planting and by the time you transfer the rhizome there, the soil will be completely ready. It is best to transplant the plant in the fall or in early spring before the leaves completely bloom. For transplantation, take relatively long sections of rhizome with kidneys and transfer them to prepared soil. Deepen 3-4 cm and leave. After 2 - 3 years, you will have wonderful silvery flowers at this place.

Lily of the valley in the USSR

The aroma of lily of the valley is very strong and very pleasant. And, for sure, many remember that in soviet time cologne and toilet water with the aroma of lily of the valley, which was called "silver lily of the valley", was popular. But, that in eau de toilette, that in the cologne was used not the natural smell of lily of the valley, but its chemical essence was used. The thing is that getting it is much simpler and cheaper, and it turns out to be more persistent than a natural aroma. And the natural aroma of these flowers is used only in expensive perfumes - in perfumes.

Lily of the valley in the Red Book

Lily of the valley belongs to the group of protected plants. It is even listed in the red books of some regions of Russia. The main reason is that the plant is abundantly destroyed during the collection of flowers in the spring or during the collection of medicinal raw materials. But those flowers that are sold in the passages or on the streets are most often collected not somewhere in the countryside, but are grown in special farms.

Forcing lilies of the valley

The process of growing plants in order to obtain flowers is called distillation. Special greenhouses are built for distillation. To drive lilies of the valley, the height of the greenhouses should not exceed 40 cm. In autumn, rhizomes with powerful rounded buds are taken and planted in special pots filled with peat. Pots outside and on top are covered with moss. Most often it is sphagnum moss. Pots are placed in a greenhouse and the temperature is maintained at around 35 ° C. Under these conditions and constant watering, after about 3 to 5 weeks, the lilies of the valley begin to bloom. Thus, you can get flowers literally for the new year. In Germany in the 17th century, this was done on an industrial scale and lilies of the valley were delivered to the imperial palace by the new year from there.

There is another plant called “garden lily of the valley”. Although, in addition to the name, this plant with lily of the valley has nothing in common. Unless it belongs to the same family to which the lily of the valley used to belong, that is, to the lily family. This plant is called Kupena forest.

Lily of the valley is a wonderful plant in every way. But it is better to use it as an ornamental plant and remember that its toxic properties are very strong. Lily of the valley at your site will delight you for many years, and possibly even your children and grandchildren. Then, how to use medicines based on lily of the valley you need with extreme caution and better after consulting a doctor.

In May, spring fully comes into its own, gardens and forests are covered with greenery, and the air is filled with fresh exciting fragrance. It blooms lily of the valley, beloved by gardeners and wildlife lovers.

Grassy perennial, first described by Karl Linnaeus, can be found today in the forest, it is used to decorate garden plots and early spring forcing, grown as a potted culture. Thanks to breeders, more than a dozen original varieties of lily of the valley have appeared at the disposal of gardeners, which in the photo and description are strikingly different from a wild ancestor.

Lily of the valley classification

The first description of the lily of the valley as a genus belongs to Linnaeus. In the XVIII century, the plant was assigned to lilies and received the name Lilium convalium, which in Latin means "Lily of the valley." Then, scientists more than once changed the affiliation of culture to a particular section of the generally accepted classification.

On the this moment lilies of the valley, like other plants well known to gardeners, for example, kupen, poultry farmer and polyantes, are members of the vast Asparagaceae family. The modern name of the flower has also changed.

Lily of the valley today became known as Convallaria or Convalaria. Among the people, the lily of the valley is also known under other names, for example, forest bell, May or forest lily, gladysh, juvenile, cherries meadow, dog tongue or hare ears.

Although botanists officially recognize only the European variety Lily of the valley in May, populations growing in the north and east of Asia, as well as on the territory of the North American continent, are increasingly recognized as independent.

Moreover, differences in appearance the plants are minimal, however, a significant remoteness of habitats and the lack of communication between them - good reason to talk about the presence of three, and sometimes even four varieties of lily of the valley:

may lily of the valley (C. majalis), which lives almost everywhere on the European continent;
lily of the valley Keizke (C. keiskei), growing in the Far East, in China and Mongolia, and also found in the west of Hindustan.
mountain lily of the valley (C. montana), which occupies wooded areas in the eastern United States;
transcaucasian lily of the valley (C. transcaucasica), growing in the Caucasus, in Transcaucasia, including the territory of Turkey.

Where lily of the valley grows

Lily of the valley is unpretentious, we have excellent adaptability, so I managed to get along in a variety of climatic zones and natural conditions. Moreover, everywhere the plant:

shows high shade tolerance;
prefers nutrient rich soils;
does not tolerate drought.

In nature, lily of the valley can be found in deciduous and mixed, less often in pine forests. Rapid development of the aerial parts and flowering occurs at a time when the soil is still drunk with melt water, the foliage on the trees and shrubs has not yet fully opened, and the grass has not risen. In such conditions, wintering rhizomes provide perennial with everything necessary for growth. And in a few years, a dense curtain appears on the site of just a few rosettes of smooth oblong-elliptic leaves.

Given the ability to capture new territories, in the gardens where the lily of the valley grows, the site for it must be strictly limited. Otherwise, the plant may supplant other beneficial crops in a few seasons.

Despite endurance and adaptability, all wild-growing species of lily of the valley are threatened with extermination. The reason is not only the beauty of the flowers and the strong aroma, but also useful properties plants. Therefore, in Russia, and in a number of European countries and in the US state of Kentucky, the species was taken under official protection.

What does a lily of the valley look like: a description of the plant

Blooming lily of the valley is well known to many. However, a perennial herbaceous culture is not only graceful bell flowers and leathery smooth leaves.

Most of the plant, namely branched powerful root systemhidden shallow underground. Thanks to the horizontal light brown rhizomes and the numerous small roots of the lily of the valley extending from them:

it winters well and even with freezing, it quickly recovers;
one of the first to wake up with the onset of spring heat,
successfully propagated by a vegetative method.

The aerial part of the plant consists of shortened shoots and a rosette of leaves. Moreover, the lowest, undeveloped leaf plates are often located under a layer of soil. Real leaves appear as they grow. First, they are folded into a dense tube, which gradually rises above the ground and opens. Shirokolantsetny smooth leaf plates are painted in saturated green color, have longitudinal venation and pointed tips.

When two or three leaves are fully formed, the development of the bud begins, turning into a slender flowering shoot, bearing immediately from 6 to 20 rounded buds. Plant height depends on the species and variety. Wild plants, as a rule, are more modest than garden specimens, and European lilies of the valley, not exceeding 15–20 cm, are lower than their Asian and Transcaucasian counterparts, growing to 30–50 cm in height.

Since flowering occurs on buds laid back in the previous season, its splendor depends on the quality of care and the growth conditions created for the lily of the valley.

In wild and many cultural varieties, perianths have a simple, miniature bell-like shape. Inside the rounded calyx from 4 to 9 mm high there are six stamens and a short pestle.

The first lilies of the valley open on the lower part of the stem, then the turn of the middle and upper buds comes.

Depending on climatic and weather conditions, this can happen from the second decade of May to June. On average, flowering lasts from two to three weeks.

How lily of the valley multiplies

If the weather is not too hot, white scented bells strew the whole brush and do not fade for a long time, giving the opportunity to form a lot of ovaries. When the lilies of the valley bloom, the air is filled with an incredibly strong fragrance. It is the smell that attracts many bees and other pollinators to the flowers.

Successful work of insects leads to the appearance of rounded berries, which, as they ripen, increase in size and change color from green to brown, and then, by mid-summer, to bright orange or red. Inside, the fetus is divided into three chambers containing 1-2 large seeds.

Berries are in no hurry to fall and often become food for birds and rodents. Thanks to this, lilies of the valley successfully appear where this plant has not been found before. However, this method of reproduction is hardly suitable for those who want to see lily of the valley flowers not in the photo, but in their own garden.

If the lily of the valley is grown from seed, the plant will bloom only after 6–7 years. Therefore, flower growers prefer to use the vegetative propagation of the culture using root cuttings.

After transferring to a new place, a strong delenka with the beginnings of leaf sockets quickly takes root and, with proper care, in 1-2 years it will delight with fragrant bell flowers.

Types and varieties of lilies of the valley with photo flowers

Elegant fragrant flowers have long attracted the attention of man. Long before Linnaeus, the lily of the valley was known to the peoples who inhabited modern countries Europe, Russia, Asia. This is evidenced by the mention of the plant in the legends of the ancient Romans and Germans, Slavic tribes, as well as the use of culture for medicinal purposes.

From the XVI – XVII centuries, when in France and other countries there was a fashion for bouquets and flower decoration of costumes and hairstyles, lilies of the valley were very welcome. Not only did they show themselves perfectly in the cut, but they also served as a natural flavoring, a kind of perfume masking unpleasant odors.

The demand for flowers was so great that plants from the forest migrated to gardens and flower beds. Thanks to careful selection, large-flowered varieties of Convallaria grandiflora appeared even then. These plants are distinguished by slender peduncles towering above green foliage and carrying up to 20 large white buds.

Another achievement of breeders is the appearance of lilies of the valley whose flowers are not painted traditionally white, but in a pale pink or lilac shade. The photo gives a visual representation of what the lily of the valley Convallaria Rosea looks like.

Not wanting to dwell on the result, enthusiasts of this amazing spring crop created a group of Convallaria Prolificans varieties with terry corollas. The brushes of these plants look especially magnificent, while fully preserving both resistance and marvelous aroma.

No less in demand among garden flower lovers are lilies of the valley with original foliage. These are variegated forms, the sheet plates of which, depending on the variety, are decorated with strokes, stripes or strokes of contrasting tones.

Hardwick Hall garden lily of the valley stands out with leaves with a wide, heterogeneous rim of yellow color.

Albostriata lily of the valley plants are doubly decorative during flowering, and after it remain incredibly attractive thanks to the bright leafy plates covered with longitudinal stripes of a yellow hue.

Even more golden reflections on the leaves of the Aurea variety. On some leafy plate green, the color remains only in the form of thin stripes, the rest is painted in milky yellow tones. Light, as in the photo of the flowers of the lily of the valley, there may be flower-bearing shoots.

The use of lily of the valley

In the garden, lilies of the valley are actively used for landscaping areas under crowns with trees and tall bushes. May bloom allows you to revive the territory, while large plants have not yet come into full force.

Perennial ground-cover culture does not require special care, easily winters in the European part of Russia, goes well with such popular species as aquilegia, irises, blooming somewhat earlier than bluebills. In this case, by mid-summer, the decorativeness of lilies of the valley is falling. To maintain the freshness of the foliage, the plant is watered, and experts recommend cutting the remaining flower stalks with the formed berries, so as not to weaken the flowering of the next year.

Lilies of the valley can be grown indoors, as well as achieve an early appearance of flowers by planting healthy rhizomes stored in the pot in autumn.

If lilies of the valley are collected for a bouquet, it is better to give preference to brushes that are not fully opened. Cutting is carried out in the morning or evening hours, when not in direct sunlight. Due to the strong smell, lily of the valley flowers should not be left in residential premises, especially in children's and bedroom rooms.