Convallaria pseudomajalis J. Bartram. Common name: American Lily-of-the-Valley. Phenology: Apr-Jun; Aug. Habitat: Mountain forests, particularly in rocky woodlands or forests on or near ridgetops under northern red oak at about 1000 to 1500 m elevation, sometimes at lower elevations (down to at least 700 m) and under Quercus montana. Distribution: Endemic to the Southern Appalachians: WV and VA through NC and TN to ne. GA (Jones & Coile 1988) and nw. SC (there appears to be no documentation for old reports by Bartram, Rafinesque, and Greene of this species for PA).
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Taxonomy Comments: Cronquist's (1991) statement that Southern Appalachian plants "may reflect an early escape of a different phase of the species [C. majalis] from cultivation" can be discounted, as C. pseudomajalis has a broad suite of morphological distinctions from European C. majalis and also characteristically occurs on ridges remote from present or past habitations; there is no doubt that the taxon is both native and taxonomically distinct. Utech in FNA (2002a) states that our plants are more closely related to the Asian taxon, variously treated as C. keiskei Miquel or C. majalis var. keiskei (Miquel) Makino, than to the European C. majalis s.s. C. montana Rafinesque is an illegitimate and superfluous name and cannot be used; the oldest legitimate name is C. pseudomajalis J. Bartram.
Synonymy ⓘ: = K4, POWO, Va; = Convallaria majalis L. ssp. majuscula (Greene) Gandhi, Reveal, & Zarucchi var. majuscula (Greene) Gandhi, Reveal, & Zarucchi — Gandhi, Reveal, & Zarucchi (2012); = Convallaria majalis L. var. montana H.E.Ahles — FNA26, RAB, Tn; = Convallaria majuscula Greene — NS; = Convallaria montana Raf. — F, W, WV, illegitimate and superfluous name; < Convallaria majalis L. — C, G, S, S13, Judd (2003). Basionym: Convallaria pseudomajalis J.Bartram 1810
Links to other floras: = Convallaria majalis var. montana - FNA26
Show parent genus | Show parent in key(s)
Heliophily ⓘ: 3
Hover over a shape, letter, icon, or arrow on the map for definition or see the legend.
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Will Stuart | Original Image ⭷
© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷Feedback
See something missing or incorrect about Convallaria pseudomajalis? Let us know here:
- Please include your name and if possible, email in case when need to clarify what you wrote.
- If you opt out of including email, please be as specific as possible (e.g., which photo is incorrect?)
- Please do not submit questions asking to identify plants or about horticultural topics (e.g., how do I control an invasive plant in my garden?). Instead, those questions can be submitted here for the Carolinas region only.
- Please do not send us feedback about unkeyed species as this work is ongoing.
- Please allow time for flora edits to show in our next data release. We greatly appreciate your feedback but may require extra time to research complicated taxonomic issues.
Horticultural Information
No horticultural data found for this taxon.