Lilies of the valley: description and photo. Forest lily of the valley

Some of the most beautiful forest plants are May Lilies of the valley. The description of this gentle white flower is often found in poets and novelists, it is painted on canvases by artists. It has many national names: hare ears, wolf violet, silversmith. The flower grows in deciduous and pine forests, creating vast white-green meadows during the May flowering period.

Lilies of the valley. Description of the species

The forest lily of the valley is a perennial herbaceous plant. The area of its growth is practically the entire territory of Europe, Siberia, the Far East, and also the Japanese islands. True, some experts consider the Japanese and Far Eastern flowers to be another species.

According to the botanical classification, the May lily of the valley belongs to the class of monocotyledonous plants, and the family of lily-of-the- valley (Convallaria referred to earlier) was recently replaced with a family of asparagus. The main reason is the discrepancy between the fetus of this flower and the characteristic species for the family. The true lily fruit is a capsule, and the lily of the valley has a berries.

Reproduction in nature

Reproduction of it occurs with the help of the root system. The roots are very thin and long enough. Possessing a great capacity for branching during growth, the root system of the equine is able to form a whole glade fairly quickly from one planted bush. At the same time, where there is a lily of the valley, there are practically no other herbaceous plants, since it completely replaces them. Life expectancy is more than forty years.

From the root begins to grow an escape from two leaves imprisoned in a rosette. Leaflets elongated and pointed at tips, juicy, bright green. In the root area are framed with small scales. In the first year after the appearance of leaves, flowering does not happen. The flower appears only in the second or even the third year.

Wonderful flowers

Lilies of the valley have tender white, fragrant flowers. Appear depending on the place of growth in May or in June. First, a thin green arrow begins to grow from the leaf socket - the flower spike. It gradually appears small green buds, which form a one-sided loose flower brush. The flowers themselves are in the form of a six-toothed bell of white color. The plant blooms for a long time - 2-3 weeks. After blossoming, fruits in the form of orange-red berries are tied. They reach full maturity by the beginning of September. Lily of the valley berries are poisonous.

Variety of varieties

Convolia is a fairly popular garden flower. Cultivated it since the 16th century and by now many varieties have been hatched. They differ in the richness of the color of the flower, for example, Rosea has a soft pink bell, as well as the number of flowers on the peduncle, for example, the Flore Plena variety has a very large number. In addition, there are lilies of the valley that remain beautiful even after flowering. For example, Convallária Albostriata has large green leaves with white veins. They are widely used to decorate flower beds, which are located in the shade.

How to grow it in your own garden?

In nature, lily of the valley grows in the forest, on glades and edges. How to grow a lily of the valley on your backyard? Planting of this flower is made in the autumn period, but it is possible to plant in the spring. To plant a shaded garden area is selected. Since the flower reproduces by means of the root system, this method is more preferable. However, a flower arrangement is also possible with the help of seeds.

Where does the lily of the valley grow? It can grow on almost any soil, but in wetlands it is taken badly. When planting, the depth of rooting of the root shoot is also taken into account: it should not exceed three centimeters. It is also not recommended to thicken the planting - this can lead to the damage of seedlings with gray rot.

Care of the plant is simple. Lilies of the valley, the description of which characterizes them as shade-tolerant and frost-proof plants, like abundant watering and periodic fertilizing with mineral fertilizers. It must be remembered that the convoy is able to multiply rapidly. Therefore, the plantation, where the lily of the valley grows, must be cleaned and thinned at least once every 2 or 3 years. Otherwise, flowering can stop.

Description of pharmaceutical properties

Lily of the valley is a medicinal plant. In all its parts contains a large number of cardiac glycosides, which are characterized by high cardiological and biochemical activity. Basically it is konvalotoksin and konvalozid. In addition to good therapeutic properties, they are unstable, therefore, do not accumulate in the organs and tissues of a person. Therefore, extracts obtained from the processing of plant raw materials are used in medicines for the treatment of heart diseases. In addition, the convulsion has a good soothing effect, so it is often prescribed in herbal preparations in combination with valerian, motherwort, hawthorn and their analogues.

How to collect and dry this medicinal plant?

Lilies of the valley, a description of the pharmaceutical properties of which confirms that this is a valuable medicinal plant, is harvested in virtually all regions. For this, almost all of its ground part is used. The exception is the berries of a lily of the valley. They are poisonous and are not used in folk medicine.

The main harvesting time is during the active flowering period. It is better to do it in dry weather after the dew has come down. Since the flower is protected by the state, there are strict rules for collecting it. It is forbidden to tear down the plant so that the root system is not damaged. It is subject only to accurate pruning with the use of a knife. In this case, the height of the left stem should not be less than 5 cm. If there is a color preparation, then the entire brush is not cut off. From the lower flower you need to surround at least 3 cm. If lilies of the valley are gathered in the forest, it is forbidden to cut off all the plants in the clearing. It is possible to cut one plant per square meter.

The description of the drying procedure is very simple. The grass is laid out for drying on the day of collection, not allowing wilting, since in this case all its useful substances are lost. It is better to do this in specialized electric dryers. If not, dry in well-ventilated areas until ready. After stored in canvas pouches in a dry dark place.