The Herbarium
Part XII · Lookalikes
Field pair
Lily of the valley for wild garlic
Lily of the valley and Garlic — take this sheet to the bed, not a guess to the kettle.
Deadly mix-upGarden
Lily of the valley for wild garlic
Two-leaved shade plants in spring. One is soup. The other is a cardiac glycoside that looks like a lily and smells of nothing useful.
True garlic and ramps smell of onion the moment you bruise a leaf. Lily of the valley does not. Its bells hang one-sided on a scape. If it does not smell of allium, it is not an allium.
The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.