This inconspicuous "little white flower" actually has its own festival

Other names: bellflower, grass bell, royal shadow grass, perfume flower, deer bell, small reed bell, valley lily, grass inch fragrance

Effects: Cardiotonic, diuretic

Legend has it that a long time ago, a young prince lost his sweetheart while hunting in the forest. The prince was extremely anxious and searched everywhere. Finally, he found his sweetheart in a sea of ​​lily of the valley. Since then, there has been a legend that seeing lily of the valley is a symbol of love and happiness. Therefore, people believe that lily of the valley can bring good luck. Lily of the valley and the legend came into my sight. Then I felt a small lantern shining in front of my eyes like an elf, guiding me to the light. That feeling is happy and joyful.

The first spring breeze blows, the drizzle moistens the earth, the wild geese fly back to the north from the south in groups, the sky is a stunning scenery, and the otters also emerge from the water and arrange the first fish they catch on the shore, which is to pay tribute to the spring given by nature. At the same time, the wild flowers and weeds will never remain silent, and they have also begun to revive. With the arrival of May, this is the end of the spring of the year, and it is also the prelude to the beginning of summer. The lily of the valley has just bloomed, it is a blessing to spring and a tribute to summer. The flowers blooming in this season are strong and fresh. The secluded lily of the valley is not the kind of bright and lively flowers, it is elegant and somewhat subtle. Without participating in the competition of beauty, the flowers have their own wildness and are full of mystery.

Lily of the valley is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Lily of the valley in the Asparagaceae family. Lily of the valley is native to the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, but it can be found in Europe, Asia, North America, and China's northeast and north China regions, distributed at an altitude of 850 to 2,500 meters. Lily of the valley likes a semi-shaded and humid environment, growing in moist places under shady slopes or by ditches. It prefers coolness and hates hot and dry weather. It has a strong personality. It is relatively cold-resistant and has no strict requirements on soil. It can take root and sprout in humus-rich soil and sandy soil. If the soil is fertile and loose, it will grow naturally strong. When the air is humid and the soil is well drained, if there are plants above the plant to shade it, it will grow better, with lush branches and leaves and rich fragrance of flowers. It has a well-developed underground root system, mainly propagating by tubers, with many branches, and circling inside the soil in a creeping state. Its plant is short, the whole plant is hairless, the main stem is smooth and green, and the branching ability is average, but each flower stem can differentiate into three or four flowers.

There are many different stories, versions and legends about lily of the valley. The fragrance is like orchid and the flowers are like small bells, so it is named lily of the valley. Because the flower shape is like a small wind chime when it blooms, it is also called bellflower. In ancient Greek mythology, the beautiful princess Heloa was so beautiful that countless suitors fell at her feet. However, Heloa yearned for freedom and an unfettered life. One day, she fled the palace and entered a dense forest. She met the god of the forest and fell deeply in love with him. However, the god Zeus was very angry with Heloa's behavior and decided to punish her. So Heloa was turned into a lily of the valley. From then on, she could only bloom quietly in the spring, and the elegant flowers were telling her sadness and helplessness.

The legend of lily of the valley seems to be related to magic. There is also a widely circulated version. In ancient Greek mythology, Apollo created lily of the valley and spread it on the ground to prevent the nine goddesses from hurting their feet when walking. Every May, the ancient Romans held a flower festival to commemorate the flower god, and lily of the valley was among them. In Christian culture, lily of the valley symbolizes the messenger of happiness. Legend has it that after Jesus was crucified, the Virgin Mary was heartbroken. Her tears submerged Jesus' feet and many white bell-shaped flowers bloomed, foreshadowing the rebirth of Jesus Christ and the advent of a new era. In Norse mythology, lily of the valley became a symbol of the mother goddess. Many Nordic countries use lily of the valley to commemorate the mother goddess every spring. Lily of the valley has thus become a gift for Mother's Day to express respect, love and gratitude for mothers.

Wildflowers and weeds in the mountains and forests have always been attractive because they are full of magical colors. In fact, for me, discovering wildflowers and weeds is always a miracle, and miracles in the mountains and forests are not rare, but I can only recognize a few of them, which seems understandable, because I don’t recognize all the ones in front of and behind my house and on the roadside. Of course, to discover miracles, you must be a caring person who loves plants.

Many years ago, my aunt and I went to the mountains to pick wild vegetables. Among the weeds under the bushes, I saw a patch of green weeds with small white flowers. The flowers are small and exquisite. From a distance, the small bell-like flower buds are as pure as dewdrops on the grass. It seems that when the wind blows, it will tinkle, which is particularly pitiful. Although it was my first time seeing it, I fell in love at first sight. My aunt told me that it was lily of the valley. In fact, wild lily of the valley is hard to see, but I saw it, not in the deep mountains and valleys, but in the forest on the hillside. This is the fate of lily of the valley and me in this life. It is said that if there is a destiny, we will meet each other even if we are thousands of miles apart, and if there is no destiny, we will not meet even if we are facing each other. Its stem is single and upright, with two oval leaves growing alternately on it, and a string of white bell flowers rising above the leaves. The leaves are proudly raised, and the small white flowers droop modestly. It seems a little arrogant, but it is so harmonious. My aunt carefully dug the lily of the valley. Its roots are slender, but they grow in a horizontal series. My aunt only dug a third of the lilies and stopped. She told me: "You can't dig all of them. They can still sprout and bloom." After returning home, my aunt tied the lilies of the valley into small bundles and hung them under the eaves behind the house to dry. Shennong could taste all kinds of herbs, and I wanted to imitate Shennong. I pinched off a few leaves and was about to put them in my mouth, but my aunt stopped me: "Lilies of the valley are poisonous and can't be eaten."

Although the lily of the valley is beautiful, its bulbs, leaves, flowers, and fruits all contain toxins, which may cause poisoning if eaten by mistake. When enjoying the flowers, you should also keep a distance from them and avoid direct contact. This poison has become the advantage of lily of the valley. It is said in medical books and literary classics that it grows in deep mountains and valleys, bathing in the rain and dew of nature. For this reason, wild lily of the valley is a special Chinese herbal medicine that can treat cardiogenic edema. The whole plant of lily of the valley can be used as medicine, because the medicinal effects of each part are different in different seasons. After the fruit matures in summer, the whole plant is harvested, the soil is removed and dried, and it can be used for congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and left heart failure caused by hypertension and nephritis. The medicinal effect of lily of the valley is due to the fact that it contains more than a dozen glycosides such as lily of the valley glycosides. Lily of the valley can be used to treat diseases that "fight poison with poison", but it should be used with caution. Poisoning can cause adverse reactions such as abdominal pain, vomiting, decreased heart rate, blurred vision, dizziness, and skin rashes. Since all parts of the lily of the valley plant are highly toxic, do not take it without the guidance of a professional doctor.

In the animal world, due to the relationship of the food chain, there is a "one thing conquers another". For example, herbivores are food for carnivores, and weak carnivores are food for larger and fiercer carnivores. In the biological world, green plants are food for herbivores, and it can also be said that animals are natural enemies of plants. However, in the plant world, the natural enemy relationship is not obvious. Most plants rely on photosynthesis of stems and leaves to survive, and they are self-reliant and do not need to absorb nutrients from other plants. Only a very small number of plants are parasitic or epiphytic, and most parasitic plants are harmful to host plants. Host plants are submissive to parasitic plants, and some are exploited to death; there are also plants that are not parasitic, but are natural enemies of each other. When faced with an invasion, they will use their unique hidden weapons to resist foreign invasive species. Lily of the valley, lilac and daffodils are incompatible. The fragrance of lilac flowers is extremely harmful to daffodils. They cannot be together. If they are placed together, daffodils may die. Lily of the valley cannot be placed together with lilac flowers, otherwise, the lilac flowers will wilt. Even if they are 20 centimeters apart, they will still interfere with each other. Only when the lily of the valley is moved away can the lilac return to its original state. Lily of the valley and daffodils cannot appear at the same time, otherwise both will suffer. If these three kinds of flowers become "neighbors", the flowers will soon wither, the leaves will wilt, and finally they will die.

Lily of the valley has another nickname, Junyingcao, because it grows under the valley forest, hidden in the lonely mountains, and its flowers are naturally fragrant, accompanied by orchids. Hiding in the mountains, it is fragrant even when there is no one around. This is exactly the meaning of "You should be like an orchid". It reminds me of the saying in "The Family Letter of Confucius": "Orchids grow in secluded valleys, and they are fragrant even when there is no one around; gentlemen cultivate morality and do not change their principles because of poverty." Lily of the valley has elegant and beautiful flowers and overflowing fragrance. Ancient literati often used lily of the valley to describe themselves, indicating that they are decent, intellectual, and wise. The simple lily of the valley is especially loved by the romantic French. Lily of the valley not only gives people the expectation of "happiness and beauty" when spring comes, but also symbolizes the elegant and exquisite French sentiment. The French name of lily of the valley is "May lily of the valley", which symbolizes the return of the beautiful season and foreshadows the harvest and happiness of the new year. Later, lily of the valley gradually became the auspicious flower of Labor Day.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the favored lily of the valley has its own festival. May 1st is the "Lily of the Valley Festival" in France. On this day every year, men and women who know each other will give each other lilies of the valley. At this time, the lily of the valley carries each other's blessings and expectations, hoping that the cherished person can be happy. The recipient will hang or place the lily of the valley in the living room of the house. Some families will even keep it for a whole year to pray for long-lasting happiness. The French began to use lily of the valley to extract and make perfumes in the 16th century. The unique fragrance of lily of the valley is popular among men. In the 19th century, lily of the valley perfume became the endorsement of elegant products for young French men. The British are also super fans of lily of the valley. "Lily of the Valley" is the common name for lily of the valley in the UK. In addition, in the UK, lily of the valley also has elegant names such as "Lady's Tears" and even "Tears of the Virgin Mary". The romantic Italians gave the lily of the valley the name "Blessing of the World". This means that lily of the valley is a flower that is difficult to see in the wild. In many cultures, lily of the valley has also become a decoration for weddings, implying that the newlyweds will have a happy and fulfilling marriage life.

Lily of the valley blooms, and happiness returns. With the spring breeze of May, go to the mountains and forests to look for lily of the valley, appreciate the elegant wind chimes, and listen to the whispers of flowers and wind. At that moment, your eyes, ears, and heart are all enjoying the favor of the god of luck.

(Pictures from the Internet)

Author | Chen Fenghua