Talk:Lily of the valley

Suzanne means Lily of the Valley
Did you know that Suzanne means Lily of the Valley? (It also means rose.)


 * Indeed, anonymus. See my addition of the possible Biblical etymology of the name of this flower. In Modern Hebrew, Rose is more properly translated as "Vered", but Biblical botany is a largely unexplored field... JFW T@lk 23:32, 8 Apr 2004 (UTC)

highly poisonous
The article states: "All parts of the plant are highly poisonous"

If this is true, how common is accidental poisoning from this cause? What would be the common method and symptoms? What level of care is appropriate in handling etc, what precautions are appropriate? Would the symptoms be strictly acute/short-term, or are subtle long-term adverse effects also possible?-71.174.176.65 (talk) 20:23, 23 April 2016 (UTC)


 * www.planetdeadly.com/nature/most-poisonous-plants
 * 10 Most Poisonous Plants in the World / December 31, 2013
 * 5. Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)

If Lily of the Valley really is the fifth most poisonous plant in the world, that seems like a notable fact that is worthy of mention in the article.


 * misc.medscape.com/pi/iphone/medscapeapp/html/A816781-business.html
 * Cardiac Glycoside Plant Poisoning

"Exposure to plants containing glycosides can occur through ingestion of sap, berries, leaves, blossoms, or seeds, or of teas brewed from plant parts. Plant extracts also have been intentionally injected. Other implicated routes of exposures, perhaps more folkloric than well documented, include drinking water from a vase that has held lily-of-the-valley, eating food prepared with or stirred by poisonous plant parts, and inhaling smoke from burning plants."

"United States statistics Toxic exposure to plants containing cardiac glycosides is rare. Of 44,853 single exposures to plants reported by the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) in 2011, 1,336 were due to exposure to plants containing cardiac glycosides. Cardiac glycoside exposure from plants accounts for approximately 3% of plant exposures and 0.06% of the 2.3 million human exposures in the 2011 report."

This source is very detailed and technical. It appears that the risk of poison from casual contact with the plant parts is very low, and hardly ever occurs?-71.174.176.65 (talk) 15:01, 25 April 2016 (UTC)


 * One reason that should not be ignored for discussing the toxicity of LotV is that its use was an important plot point in the television show Breaking Bad, which itself has had a sustained cultural impact, and it still spins off Mythbusters-style chemistry or DiY attempts on YouTube. I'm frankly surprised more isn't here already like the history of its use in attempted murder, or even a cited LD50 in mice or something. SamuelRiv (talk) 07:15, 5 February 2018 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 02:57, 5 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Pennä reverse Anu 1990.jpg

"Convallaria majuscula"
Is Convallaria majuscula a valid species name? The Convallaria article doesn't even mention it. 173.88.246.138 (talk) 18:01, 22 May 2021 (UTC)
 * No. Tt's now C. majalis var. montana per the 2nd ref on that sentence.  Eve rgr een Fir  (talk) 05:16, 13 August 2021 (UTC)

In popular culture
-:-:-breaking bad (serie) !!!spoilers!!!-:-:-

i dont know if im writing weird... but i think LOTS OF PEOPLE know that plant from a serie called breaking bad. in last episode of 4th season, walt (main chracter) using that plant in order to poison someone. yes.. and in last scene in that episode they end episode with zooming to this plant. so, in my opinion it should be here. and for help, im gonna find a source about "lilly of the valley and breaking bad".

and yes, i found a source: https://screenrant.com/breaking-bad-season-4-ending-how-walt-poison-brock/ (also look: Screen Rant, it is creditable, it has wikipedia article), and EVEN A WİKİ ARTICLE! yes! in a wikipedia article, it mention lilly of the valley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_Off_(Breaking_Bad).

people, you can find more source about that. that information should be in article.. thanks...... modern_primat ඞඞඞ TALK 18:18, 22 June 2022 (UTC)


 * also if we put this info to article, we should put it with no spoilers as possible. modern_primat ඞඞඞ TALK 18:20, 22 June 2022 (UTC)

-:-:-breaking bad (serie) !!!spoilers!!!-:-:-


 * I too love effective pop sci and loved Breaking Bad, and I'm fairly sure BB is the only reason I'll ever remember what LotV is. There are however some good guidelines to adding a WP:POPCULTURE section, including 4 criteria to consider for whether a reference is encyclopedic. The BB episode would seem to match #1,2, and 4 – (after some thorough research (one google search) it seems that (thankfully) no one has tried to poison someone else with LotV in a recent copy-cat crime) – this makes a good case for inclusion. But is there sense in making a "list of" section with only one entry? Another round of (thorough) research reveals a notable titular poem by Dunbar (Balzac's novel I don't think ever mentions the flower), but I only found one mystery writer who has used it as a weapon (Agatha Christie used many household plants, and LotV was her favorite flower, but apparently she never used it).
 * I began this reply to argue against adding a Pop Culture section, but it would seem BB and Dunbar are sufficient to support its addition. Good suggestion, modern_primat. SamuelRiv (talk) 19:23, 22 June 2022 (UTC)