This is a plant with a scent much beloved in previous generations but it could be mistaken for wild garlic and is potentially deadly. It lives in the same habitat, woodland, and comes up at the same time as wild garlic so it is an important dangerous ‘lookalike’. The toxins are cardiac glycosides similar to those found in foxgloves and cane toads, causing nausea, vomiting, blurry vision, and disruption to the heartbeat that can be fatal.
It is important to foragers as it could be mistaken for wild garlic before it flowers, it being in the same places with similar leaves, but at a slightly later in the season. However it does not have the characteristic smell of wild garlic
Some of its common names reference Mary mother of Jesus, whose tears as she watched Jesus being crucified turned into lily of the valley when they touched the ground.
