False or Wild
Lily-of-the-Valley; aka:
Snakeberry,
Deerberry,
Deer Heart,
Mayflower or May Lily
False or Wild Lily-of-the-Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum synonymous with M. kamtschaticum) is a common local wildflower, native from subarctic Alaska through the Yukon & British Columbia, throughout Washington & Oregon. The range is even more extensive, in that it crosses from Alaska to Russia, & grows along the Asian coast as far south as Korea, & in Japan, where it is called Maizurusou, "Russian Mouse."
Ours was given to us by friends who dug a piece of it from along a salmon stream that passes through their property. Because it can be aggressive in a garden, we planted it in a spot hemmed in by sidewalk & concrete staircase, in deep shade, where it has inevitably done very well. It's not inconceivable that its rhizomes will eventually be able to cross under the width of the sidewalk to escape its confinement, but even with a "worst case scenario" I don't envision it ever being burdensome; it is only apt to take over if never tended or weeded back.
European Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis) is likewise invasive & can escape the garden, seeding through the countryside, competing with native plants. So it is nice to have this closely related twin that is actually native to our county. Many regions have a locally native wildflower of similar character & appearance, & it should be sought instead of the all-too-commonly gardened but troublesome European species.
False Lily-of-the-Valley is common in the Rainforest here on the Olympic Penninsula, from near sea level to subalpine heights. It's often seen in extensive patches along streambanks. Despite this preference for moist locations, it even so becomes drought-hardy in the garden when its roots are well established, & is a good plant for dryish shade. It will of course do best with regular watering. It will thrive in much deeper shade than most shade plants, so it very nicely fills in neglected deep-shade areas. The one fault we've experienced is the same as for hostas: slugs & leaf-chomping caterpillars can devour them into lacy fragments.
The photo above shows its March buds, which will open mid April through May into upright racemes of scented white flowers. The lush heart-shaped leaves reach only about ten inches high, with limitless potential for spread.
Late-summer & early autumn bright red berries add to its ornamental strengths. These were eaten fresh or dried by Northwest first peoples, although never been highly regarded for flavor. They Haida called them Frog Berries. They were usually picked a little green & were either dried right away, or stored in water until they ripened to red. They were then boiled, mixed with other mediocre berries such as from salal or snowberries, & mashed into cakes to be sun-dry for later use. If you think of trying them yourself, don't forget that the common European Lily-of-the-Valley is poisonous.
A number of myths, largely Christian in nature, are told about the European Lily-of-the-Valley. When Europeans arrived in North America, they transferred the common name & its legends to the several look-alike species they encountered here. A typical flower-myth has it that the tears of the Virgin Mary turned to Lilies-of-the-Valley as she wept at the foot of the cross. Another legend has them springing from the blood of St. Leonard the Dragon-fighter, who waged war against a dragon throughout the Vienne Valley. Wherever the dragon's blood spilled, poisonous vines erupted, but wherever St. Leonard's blood was spilled, Lilies-of-the-Valley arose, hence the white flowers of Her purity are sometimes called Our-Lady's-Tears.
Such myths date further back than Christianity, however, for Apuleius makes it sacred to Apollo, & the European species is quite rightly named majalis after the Pleiades goddess Maia, mother of Hermes (Mercury). The False Lily-of-the-Valleys have a genus name that translates not specifically "May's Blossom" as often assumed, but literally "Maia's Blooms," she for whom May is named. Because of the association of both False & True Lily-of-the-Valley with Maia & Hermes, it become a significant plant in alchemical science or sorcery, & old astrological books place Lily-of-the-Valley under the dominion of Mercury.
In the Christian era many such myths of figures like Maia & Hermes were transferred to Mary & Jesus, who asked his followers to be like unto the lilies of the field. In France, May Day is still called called "the day of the lilies of the valley," & presenting the flower to a friend on that day conveys good luck, while traditionally peasant children picked them in the fields to sell on every street corner for May Day, which marked a day of festival of fertility goddesses like Maia or Flora long before it was coopted as Mary's holiday, though I will stop here rather than digress into the erotic, pagan origins of the Maypole.