Its name is interesting in other languages too. In French, muguet originated from the smell being reminiscent of musk. In German, maiglökchen, literally, May small hole. In Hungarian, gyöngyvirág, healing lower. The scientific name, convallaria, given it by Linnaeus, is synonymous with its English name, meaning “of the valley“.
This small plant defends itself from herbivores with highly toxic substances, chief of which is onvallatoxin, a molecule in which a sugar is linked to a steroid, and causes hypercoagulability of blood.
It also contains molecules that may turn to be beneficial to people. Administered as the plant at a small dosage, it is helpful to kidneys, reducing blood levels of gout-inducing uric acid.
A most lucrative use however is as a stimulant to noses, i.e., perfumers devising attractive scents. For instance, the perfume/eau de toilette “Diorissimo“ was released on May 1 st 1956 — note the date.
Christian Dior was fond of the lily-of-the-valley flowers and fragrance. He thus ordered from the “nose“ Edmond Roudnitska the devising of a perfume that would convey it. It was and it continues to be a major commercial success. Lily of the valley was also Queen of England
Elizabeth II’s favorite flower.
Some of the molecules making-up the fragrance are the alcohols beta-phenylethanol, citronellol and perineol, the aldehydes bourgeonal, hydroxy-citronellal and lilial. The perfumer Roudnitska, when devising Diorissimo, assembled rose, boronia and lilac. To this, he has added a hint of the more opulent jasmine, a spicy touch of lily and an exotic, luminous touch of ylang-ylang.
The association of May 1st in France with lily of the valley goes back to 1561: King Charles IX of France was given a lily of the valley flowers as a present on May 1.
May First is very special to the French. It is nowadays Fête du Travail, a holiday (férié) that is also chômé, i.e., with paid salary: the only one of its kind in the entire year. As a spring celebration, it features, in all French cities, vendors of small bunches of lily of the valley — a ritual that has indeed long been traditional. It has endured due to May 1st 1936. The
Popular Front government, from the Left, then in power, devised and introduced this Labor Day (Fête du Travail).
It also commemorates May 1st 1886, in Chicago. Workers there staged a strike and parades, demonstrating for an eight-hour work day. They were met with police violence. Four men connected to the protests were hanged for conspiracy to commit murder and became celebrated as the Haymarket Martyrs.
Convallaria majalis is a Euroasiatic and suboceanic species that lives in mountains up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in elevation. A lovely painting by Chagall’s (1916) at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow depicts it.