European Lily Of The Valley

European Lily of the Valley
Convallaria majalis

This plant is a good example of the difficulty of taxonomy.  In this case, the difficulty is that this plant had been found in the southern Appalachian mountains in the early 1800's, far from any known plantings of it in gardens at the time.  The American variety is a bit different than the garden variety, so taxonomists had to figure out what to do with it, i.e. is it a species, a variety, or the same as the European variety.

As with every other plant, each taxonomist had a different idea and in the days before the internet and instant communication, chaos reigned in the American Lily of the Valley world.

In one paper I read, they noted that the American version has been named variously over the years as:

• Convallaria majalis
• C. montana 
• C. majuscula
• C. majalis var. montana
• C. pseudomajalis

Of course, they didn't like any of the names and came up with a new one:

• Convallaria majalis L. subsp. majuscula

You can find mention of practically any of these names currently in use in various places.  Of course, it doesn't really matter here, since the southern Appalachian mountains don't run through Indiana.  We'll only find garden escapes.

The pretty flowers make this a favorite for gardens and bridal bouquets.