Flora of North America species comparison

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Convallaria

convallaria, lily-of-the-valley
Habit Herbs, perennial, scapose, from slender, branched rhizomes with upright buds (pips); forming colonies.
Leaves

2–3, basal, erect, sheathing, petiolate;

petiole erect, slender;

blade oblong to widely elliptic, glabrous, apex acute to acuminate.
Scape

arising basally.
Inflorescences

racemose, 5–15-flowered, bracteate;

raceme 1-sided, 1–3 dm;

bracts subtending pedicel.
Flowers

deciduous, nodding, very fragrant;

perianth globose-campanulate;

tepals almost completely connate, distinct lobes outwardly recurved;

stamens 6, included, attached at perianth tube base;

anthers oblong to lanceolate, introrse;

ovary superior, 3-locular, syncarpous, ovules 4–8 per locule;

septal grooves absent;

style included, connate, straight;

stigmas weakly 3-lobed to capitate;

pedicel recurved, filiform.
Fruits

baccate, orangish red, globose, pulpy.
Seeds

yellow to light brown, subglobose to angled, smooth.
x

= 19.

Convallaria
Distribution
from USDA
n temperate North America and Eurasia
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species 1.

As described here, Convallaria may be viewed as monotypic with three (or more) isolated infraspecific taxa, or else as three morphologically similar but isolated species (B. E. Streveler 1966). Our native taxon, Convallaria majalis var. montana, is more closely related to that in eastern Asia, var. keiskei (Miquel) Makino (= C. keiskei Miquel), than to that of western Europe, var. majalis (M. L. Fernald 1928c, 1944c). While the genus is well known for its sweet fragrance, potential poisonings are a concern due to the more than 38 cardenolide glycosides (G. E. Burrows and R. J. Tyrl 2001), including convallatoxin, found throughout these ornamentals (W. H. Lewis and M. P. F. Elvin-Lewis 1977).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 205. Author: Frederick H. Utech.
Parent taxa Liliaceae
Subordinate taxa
C. majalis
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 314. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 383. (1754)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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