On the distinction of the Polygonatum species:
Only Polygonatum odoratum has single flowers; the other species have groups of 2 to 5 flowers at the flower position. Polygonatum verticillatum has narrow leaves, the other two multi-flowered species have oval leaves. ( Polygonatum latifolium, whose stems and sometimes also the undersides of the leaves are hairy, occurs only in Eastern Europe (in Austria only in the Pannonicum), while Polygonatum multiflorum with its hairless stems and leaves occurs throughout Europe. Fig. 10 explains the German name 'Weißwurz' of the genus which would be translated as 'white root'.