What is "lily of the valley"

Lily \Lil"y\ (l[i^]l"[y^]), n.; pl. Lilies (l[i^]l"[i^]z).

1. (Bot.) A plant and flower of the genus Lilium, endogenous bulbous plants, having a regular perianth of six colored pieces, six stamens, and a superior three-celled ovary.

   Note: There are nearly fifty species, all found in the North Temperate zone. Lilium candidum and Lilium longiflorum are the common white lilies of gardens; Lilium Philadelphicum is the wild red lily of the Atlantic States. Lilium Chalcedonicum is supposed to be the ``lily of the field'' in our Lord's parable; Lilium auratum is the great gold-banded lily of Japan.

2. (Bot.) A name given to handsome flowering plants of several genera, having some resemblance in color or form to a true lily, as Pancratium, Crinum, Amaryllis, Nerine, etc.

3. That end of a compass needle which should point to the north; -- so called as often ornamented with the figure of a lily or fleur-de-lis.

   But sailing further, it veers its lily to the west.
   --Sir T. Browne.

4. (Auction Bridge) A royal spade; -- usually in pl. See Royal spade, below.

   African lily (Bot.), the blue-flowered Agapanthus umbellatus.

   Atamasco lily (Bot.), a plant of the genus Zephyranthes ( Zephyranthes Atamasco), having a white and pink funnelform perianth, with six petal-like divisions resembling those of a lily.
   --Gray.

   Blackberry lily (Bot.), the Pardanthus Chinensis, the black seeds of which form a dense mass like a blackberry.

   Bourbon lily (Bot.), Lilium candidum. See Illust.

   Butterfly lily. (Bot.) Same as Mariposa lily, in the Vocabulary.

   Lily beetle (Zool.), a European beetle ( Crioceris merdigera) which feeds upon the white lily.

   Lily daffodil (Bot.), a plant of the genus Narcissus, and its flower.

   Lily encrinite (Paleon.), a fossil encrinite, esp. Encrinus liliiformis. See Encrinite.

   Lily hyacinth (Bot.), a plant of the genus Hyacinthus.

   Lily iron, a kind of harpoon with a detachable head of peculiar shape, used in capturing swordfish.

   Lily of the valley (Bot.), a low perennial herb ( Convallaria majalis), having a raceme of nodding, fragrant, white flowers.

   Lily pad, the large floating leaf of the water lily. [U. S.]
   --Lowell.

   Tiger lily (Bot.), Lilium tigrinum, the sepals of which are blotched with black.

   Turk's-cap lily (Bot.) Lilium Martagon, a red lily with recurved sepals; also, the similar American lily, Lilium superbum.

   Water lily (Bot.), the Nymph[ae]a, a plant with floating roundish leaves, and large flowers having many petals, usually white, but sometimes pink, red, blue, or yellow.

n. A flowering plant, ''Convallaria majalis'', with richly fragrant pendant bells.

n. low-growing perennial plant having usually two large oblong lanceolate leaves and a raceme of small fragrant nodding bell-shaped flowers followed by scarlet berries [syn: lilies of the valley, May lily, Convallaria majalis]

Lily of the valley is a flowering plant.

Lily of the Valley or Lilies of the Valley may also refer to:

Lily of the Valley (foaled 2 February 2007) is a French Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Prix de l'Opéra in 2010.

Lily of the Valley was a houseboat owned by pioneer John Moore Robinson, who founded the community of Naramata, British Columbia. He and his family traveled across Okanagan Lake to the newly laid out town site in Lily of the Valley on April 22, 1907 and Naramata was officially founded. She was moored at the wharf on the west shore of the lake and later hosted festivities such as regatta activities by the Ahtletic and Aquatic Association, holding 800 people at one point in 1909.

Lily of the valley, sometimes written lily-of-the-valley, scientific name Convallaria majalis , is a sweetly scented, highly poisonous woodland flowering plant that is native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere in Asia, and Europe.

It is possibly the only species in the genus Convallaria (or one of two or three, if C. keiskei and C. transcaucasica are recognised as separate species). In the APG III system, the genus is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae). It was formerly placed in its own family Convallariaceae, and, like many lilioid monocots, before that in the lily family Liliaceae.

"Lily of the Valley" is a song by British rock band Queen, which was originally released on their third album Sheer Heart Attack in 1974. "Lily of the Valley" features Mercury playing the piano and providing all of the vocals. The song has a reference to " Seven Seas of Rhye" in the line "messenger from Seven Seas has flown to tell the King of Rhye he's lost his throne". "Lily of the Valley" was released as a single the following year in 1975, but failed to chart anywhere. The B-side of the single was " Keep Yourself Alive". The song is one of the album's few slow ballads.