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Lily Of The Valley Vs. Wild Garlic: Similarities & Differences

Lily of the Valley and Wild Garlic look the same in the seedling stage, but you can easily differentiate between them when they produce their first blooms.
Lily of the Valley and Wild Garlic are similar in their habitat, leaves, and flowers. However, there are differences in toxicity, leaf arrangement, flowers, and smell. Accurate recognition between them is necessary as one of them is toxic and causes serious health hazards, such as Nausea and Vomiting.
Go through this entire article to learn more about Lily of the Valley vs. Wild Garlic.

Lily Of The Valley & Wild Garlic [Overview & Key Information]

Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) is a perennial plant belonging to the family Asparagaceae that is native to Europe and some parts of Asia.

Lily of the Valley and Wild Garlic
The Lily of the Valley is also known as May-bells because it blooms in the season of May.

Similarly, Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum) is also a perennial plant that belongs to the family Amaryllidaceae and is native to Europe and Asia.

The most essential feature to distinguish between these two plants is their smell.

Wild Garlic has a garlicky smell, but the Lily of the Valley lacks it.

Additionally, Lily of the Valley is a poisonous plant and has no health benefits.

This plant contains Convallatoxin, which causes harmful effects such as Vomiting, Nausea, and other Gastrointestinal disorders in pets and humans.

So, proper recognition of Lily of the Valley from Wild Garlic is very necessary.

In contrast, Wild Garlic is rich in beneficial compounds, such as Vitamins, Iron, and Minerals, that possess a lot of benefits that are below.

  • Maintains blood pressure
  • Improves cardiovascular health
  • Supports immunity boosting
  • Reduces the inflammation

Lily Of The Valley And Wild Garlic: Common Similarities 

Lily of the Valley and Wild Garlic are two similar-looking plants with some morphological similarities, which are mentioned below.

  • Woodland Habitat: Both of these plants have woodland habitats and grow in woodlands and shady meadows.
Lily of the Valley vs Wild Garlic.
The leaves of these two plants look so similar that you must recognize them minutely.
  • Similarities in Leaves: These two plants share similarities in the shape of leaves. They both have lance-shaped leaves but show some differences in size.
  • Similarities in Flowers: They both have white flowers, which are in the shape of a bell. 
You can propagate Wild Garlic by using its bulbs that have the ability to multiply rapidly like that of wildfires.

Lily Of The Valley Vs. Wild Garlic: Striking Differences 

You can distinguish these similar-looking plants by considering these differences.

  • Toxicity: Lily of the Valley is a poisonous plant, while Wild Garlic is edible and is consumed for various health benefits.
  • Leaves: Lily of the Valley bears two leaves per stem, while the Wild Garlic owns a single leaf per stem. 
  • Flowers: Flowers of Lily of the Valley grow in clusters on one side of the pedicel, but the flowers of Wild Garlic develop globe-shaped clusters.
  • Smell: Flowers of Lily of the Valley have a similar smell to that of Jasmine, while the Wild Garlic possesses a Garlicky smell.

From Editorial Team

Conclusion!

All parts of Lily of the Valley, including leaves, stems, and roots, are toxic and cause serious health complications, such as Nausea and vomiting. 

However, there are other poisonous doppelgangers of Wild Garlic, including Autumn Crocus and Lords and Ladies.

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