8th May: Lily of the Valley

The plant of the day for today is Lily of the Valley, Convallaria majalis, dedicated to St Selena. It's also the birth flower for people born in May.

1. Lily of the Valley isn't actually a lily at all. It's a member of the Asparagus family.
2. They bloom in May, which is why an alternative name is "May Lily". The flowers are usually White, but very occasionally you might see Pink tinged ones.
3. By September, the plants are producing red-Orange berries full of seeds.
4. Don't eat them. Lily of the valley plants are toxic. They contain a chemical called convallotoxin, which can cause Heart failure. The plant also contains saponins which cause gastrointestinal poisoning.
5. Despite being toxic, the plant has nevertheless been used as a remedy for various things. It was used as an antidote to gas poisoning in in the first world war, and also for heart disorders, epilepsy, skin burns and as a sedative.
6. In the language of flowers, the lily represents modesty, chastity and purity. The return of happiness and luck in love is associated with them, too, so they are popular in wedding bouquets. Famous brides whose bouquets featured them include Queen Victoria, Princess Astrid of Sweden, Grace Kelly, and Kate Middleton.
7. Christianity has come up with a number of legends regarding these flowers. They are said to have sprung up where Eve's tears fell when she was kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and where The Virgin Mary's tears fell when her son died on the cross. Also, they grew where St. Leonard's blood fell while he was battling a Dragon.
8. One thing the flowers are famous for is their scent, which is used in perfumes. The smell of them is said to make Nightingales randy. Scientists have actually proved that the scent of lily of the valley excites human sperm as well. Something to do with some chemical in the scent opening ion channels in the sperm.
9. Lily of the valley is the national flower of Finland and was the floral emblem of Yugoslavia. France celebrates lilies on May 1st and bunches of them are given out.
10. British rock band Queen has a song about the flowers. The album it appears on, appropriately enough, is Sheer Heart Attack.

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