If you follow the old adage that April showers bring May flowers, the fifth month of the year is big on all things floral. With trees bursting into bloom and perennials popping up from the ground, those born in May have no shortage of flowers to call their own. However, what is the May birth flower? Surprise, there are two! Both lily of the valley and hawthorn are the official May birth flowers.
Tucking these flowers into birthday bouquets or just learning a bit more about them helps you connect with May babies. Keep reading to learn a bit more about the birth flowers for May and how these blooms relate to those born in the fifth month of the year.
The First May Birth Flower: Lily of the Valley
While lily is in the name of this May birth month flower, lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) isn’t a true lily. In fact, it’s more closely related to bluebells and hostas than it is to lilies. Since it’s a herbaceous perennial, it dies back each winter and reemerges in the spring.
The green lance-shaped leaves are the first part of the plant to poke up from the ground. Since the plants spread via underground rhizomes, you’ll often see these leaves blanketing large gardens or covering hillsides. A month or two after the leaves emerge, they’re joined by slender stalks covered with white, bell-shaped flowers that emit a strong floral fragrance. The flowers die back after a few weeks, but the green leaves remain until the winter.
Lily of the Valley Meaning and Symbolism
Although the flowers have a strong fragrance, the bell-shaped flowers are small and unassuming. Therefore, many people associate lily of the valley blooms with humility and sweetness.
The flower’s pure white color also makes it a symbol of purity and innocence. Therefore, people sometimes use the flowers at weddings, baptisms, and other celebrations.
Finally, this May birth flower is seen as a symbol of love and affection. That’s another reason why the blooms are popular wedding flowers. And it also means these flowers make excellent gifts for when you want to show someone your love.
Lily of the Valley Fun Facts
Although these flowers are beautiful, the pure white blooms hold a dark secret. The flowers, and all parts of the plant, contain compounds known as cardiac glycosides. Consuming even small amounts of the plant can result in nausea, dizziness, low blood pressure, irregular heart rate, and even death in animals and humans. Therefore, it’s extremely important to keep pets and curious children away from these beautiful plants. If you think a pet or child has ingested a lily of the valley plant, contact poison control ASAP.
Despite its potential danger, lily of the valley still offers many positive characteristics! Home gardeners and perfume lovers alike love the strong, floral fragrance of the bell-shaped flowers. The scent has inspired numerous perfumes as well as lotions, soaps, and other scented items.
Although you can find lily of the valley plants throughout the United States, they’re native to temperate regions in Europe and Asia. However, if you look closely, you may be able to spot a closely related species in the Appalachian mountains. The American lily of the valley (Convallaria pseudomajalis), is a much less common but equally beautiful plant.
The Second May Birth Flower: Hawthorn
Hawthorn is the second birth flower for May. The hawthorn genus consists of hundreds of different species, but all of these plants are flowering trees in the rose family. When spring arrives, the trees send out clusters of small, white flowers. The flowers have five petals and closely resemble pear and apple blooms.
Once the flowers fade, hawthorn trees produce small, red fruits known as haws. These fruits have a sweet and sour flavor which makes them appealing to both humans and wildlife.
Hawthorn Meaning and Symbolism
Hawthorn flowers hold numerous meanings, one of which is love and romance. According to the language of flowers, the beautiful blooms let someone know you love and care for them in either a romantic or platonic way. In ancient Greece, hawthorn flowers often adorned recently married couples and symbolized their proclamation of love.
Many people also view the hawthorn flower as a symbol of new beginnings. Since the flowers emerge in May, they’re often used in May Day celebrations. These festivals announce the end of spring and the arrival of a new summer.
Other people view hawthorn trees as magical or protective trees. People often planted the trees outside of their homes and cities to ward off evil spirits and protect themselves from harm. These same people believed that cutting down a hawthorn tree was bad luck and would lead to certain misfortune.
Hawthorn Fun Facts
While the hawthorn tree provides beautiful flowers to the landscape, these blooms’ fragrance leaves a lot to be desired. Many hawthorn flowers emit an unpleasant odor that many people say resembles rotting fish or ammonia. While humans find this fragrance unpleasant, small insects known as midges flock to the smelly flowers, pollinating them in the process.
Not only are the flowers noteworthy, but so are the subsequent fruits! Although they’re not as juicy and edible as cultivated apple and pear varieties, they still provide an excellent flavor that tastes like a mixture of rose hips and apples. Since the fruits are dry, they’re best used to flavor jams and jellies or steep for tea. That said, songbirds, turkeys, grouse, and squirrels all enjoy munching on the fresh fruits.
Along with offering food to wildlife, hawthorn plants also provide other benefits to native critters. They serve as host plants for caterpillars of butterflies and moths including the gray hairstreak, Abbott’s sphinx, and mourning cloak.
The hawthorn’s genus name Crataegus comes from the Greek words kratos and akis. Kratos means strength and alludes to the plants’ strong wood, while akis means sharp and refers to the trees’ thorny branches. Not all hawthorn species have these namesake thorns, but the name remains nonetheless.
Learn More About Birth Month Flowers
Now that you’re family with May’s birth month flowers, you can turn your attention to learning about other blooms. While many people consider May one of the best months for flowers, each month has unique blooms to call its own. We’ve put together an article covering all birth month flowers to help you find the flowers corresponding to each birthdate, including the other springtime months like April’s birth flower.
After learning a bit more about birth flowers, you’ll be better equipped to choose flowers for a birthday flower delivery! Whether you’re looking for a bright bouquet to brighten your BFF’s day or an elegant arrangement for your classy sister-in-law, we’ve got options for you. And since all of our flowers are sustainably sourced from partner farms, you can feel good about your order.
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