Star-of-Bethlehem

Ornithogalum umbellatum

This attractive spring flower, emerging from a bulb, was brought from Eurasia as a garden cultivar and has now spread widely in the wild. From a rosette or tuft of grass-like basal leaves 6-12 inches across rise several stems bearing the white, six-petaled flowers with yellow anthers. Each flower is about 3/4 inch across and opens only in sunlight. The leaves can be up to a foot long and sometimes have a central midrib that is whitish. The underside of the petals also have a greenish stripe. After blooming, the flowers form small seed capsules.

Attractive as it is, this alien spreads especially through bulb division and sometimes forms dense colonies that can crowd out native springtime species.

1 foot or less, sun - partial sun.

Spring (April-June).

21 May 2020.

Star-of-Bethlehem, 20 May 2020.