According to the legends, lily of the valley originated from the tears of Mother Mary when she saw the cross of Jesus. This is why the flower is also called “our lady’s tears”.

Lily of the valley, which formerly used to belong to the lily family is now included in the family of Ruscaceae. This perennial herb bears flowers which are essentially white in colour. The flowers are shaped like tiny bells drooping from a fragile stem on which they are arranged. The stem bears two leaves and an arrangement of 15 or 20 flowers. The flower is a tepal in which the sepals resemble the petals. The flowers blossom in April and May. The plant bears small orange berry-like fruits.

This rhizomous plant is available all through the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia and Europe and found in some parts of Eastern USA. The flower is associated with May 1st especially in France and it is declared the national flower of Finland. It is the official flower of a number of fraternities across the world.

In addition of being a popular garden flower, noted for its sweet fragrance, the flowers and leaves of the plant contains some medicinal properties as well. The flower suggests a “return to happiness” and is thus common in weddings.