Flower for the Day Lily of the Valley 4-22-26

With all the showy flowers blooming I almost forgot to show my old and faithful friend the Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis). Other names include May bells, Our Ladies Tears and Mary’s tears, glovewort, and Apollinaris. These green blades appear out of nowhere  finally forming the bell shaped flowers.  The flowering stems have a one-sided raceme of six to twelve pendulous flowers on the upper part of the stem. The flowers have six white tepals fused at the base to form a bell shape with reflexed tips which that are sweetly scented.  Due to its high concentration of cardiac glycosides it is extremely toxic. Lily of the Valley In the world, where flowers glow, Many sweet and fragrant grow. Yet, like you, dear lily fair, None in all the world compare, Sweetly scented, all may know. You are tears from angels’ eyes, Fallen from celestial skies, As they sway among the stars, Shedding sorrows from afar, Whispers of divine goodbyes. Delicate and white you gleam, Like my life’s most cherished dream. With you, precious, tiny bloom, Adornments in spring’s sweet room, Nature’s elegant regime. Yet, the chilly wind may blow, Untimely, it lays you low. Thus, fate’s hand in cruel jest, Steals the beauty we love best, Flower fades, life’s fleeting show. Vacile Alecsandri: translation by Julia Kalman