Choose false lily of the valley by job: a low carpet, a terminal plume, or a starry spray. Those are the three kinds here.
Choose a low carpet, a plume, or a starry spray
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Low carpets | Canada mayflower and the other paired-leaf mats for a woodland floor | Expecting Convallaria perfume bells |
| False Solomon's seal plumes | Racemosum for a 2 to 3 ft arching stem with a tip cluster | Reading nodding bells at the leaf nodes as this plant |
| Starry sprays | Stellatum when you want height between a carpet and a full plume | Treating every Maianthemum tag as one height |
| Lookalike | Read Maianthemum on the tag | Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria) or true Solomon's seal (Polygonatum) |
Know your USDA hardiness zone before you pick a type of maianthemum that will take your winter. Type your ZIP below.
2023 USDA ZIP listings (PRISM / USDA-ARS). Find Your USDA Hardiness Zone · Official USDA map.
Height is the shop split. Wisconsin treats the plume kind and a shorter starry kind as two plants in the same moist shade. [1] Canada mayflower is the low carpet many northeastern woods mean — a few inches of paired leaves and small May stars. [2] The tall plume holds a creamy cluster at the stem tip. [3]
What is Canada mayflower?
Usually Maianthemum canadense — a low false lily of the valley carpet for moist woodland floors.
Is false Solomon's seal the same plant?
M. racemosum is a taller Maianthemum in the same genus — a plume, not a two-inch carpet. It is not Polygonatum (true Solomon's seal).
Browse by kind
Not lily-of-the-valley, and not true Solomon's seal
Lily-of-the-valley is Convallaria majalis — nodding fragrant bells on a leafless stalk, and toxic if eaten. [4] True Solomon's seal hangs bell flowers from the leaf nodes along an arching stem. False Solomon's seal holds a feathery cluster at the tip. Confirm Maianthemum on the tag before you bed either lookalike as this plant.
Is false lily of the valley the same as Convallaria?
No. Convallaria is fragrant lily-of-the-valley. Maianthemum is a different woodland genus sold under overlapping nicknames.
How do I tell false Solomon's seal from true Solomon's seal?
False Solomon's seal holds a feathery flower cluster at the stem tip. True Solomon's seal hangs bell flowers from the leaf nodes along the stem.
If the tag says lily-of-the-valley or Solomon's seal without Maianthemum, it is a different plant — read the Latin before you bed it.
FAQ
Do you list three-leaf false lily?
No. Three-leaf false lily (M. trifolium) is a real wetland species other shops sell. The three jobs here are low carpet, plume, and starry spray.
Does it smell like lily-of-the-valley?
Do not buy Maianthemum expecting Convallaria perfume. Canada mayflower has a light scent. Shop Convallaria if the classic bells and fragrance are the job.
Related guides
References
- [1] Wisconsin Horticulture -
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/false-solomons-seal-maianthemum-racemosum/ - [2] NC State Extension Gardener -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/maianthemum-canadense/ - [3] NC State Extension Gardener -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/maianthemum-racemosum/ - [4] NC State Extension Gardener -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/convallaria-majalis/
This note is part of Maianthemum Guides.
More type comparisons by plant are gathered in Types of Plants Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors