Ornithogalum umbellatum (Star of Bethlehem)

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Ornithogalum umbellatum L.

Star of Bethlehem, grass lily, nap-at-noon, eleven-o’clock lady, Star-of-Bethlehem

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Liliopsida	Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
Subclass	Liliidae	Includes lilies, orchids, and many others
Order	Liliales	Includes lilies, tulips, trilliums, greenbriars, and others
Family	Liliaceae	Lilly family
Genus	Ornithogalum	From the Greek words ornis, “bird,” and gala, “milk” for the white flowers.
Species	umbellatum	Refers to the arrangement of the flowers which arise in a head from a central point, i.e. bearing an umbel

About plant names...

When this lovely little plant popped up in the middle of my lawn, I carefully mowed around it three times. Then my nephew mowed the lawn. He didn’t get the memo! Oh well, maybe it’ll be back in the spring. Star of Bethlehem is native to southern and central Europe, northwestern Africa, and southwestern Asia. In North America it escaped cultivation and is now naturalized. In Maryland and Pennsylvania, it is reported to be invasive. It prefers new forests, floodplain forests, and wet meadows, yards, or gardens.

Plants: A perennial growing from bulbs, 6-12" (15-30 cm) × 12-24" (30-60 cm). Each bulb is ½-⅞" (1.5-2.5 cm) × ⅝-1¼" (1.8-3.2 cm). Stems, technically scapes, are ⅜-1" (1-3 cm) long.

Leaves: 6-10 narrow, linear, grasslike leaves, with a white line on the upper surface. Each leaf is up to 12" (30 cm) × ¼" (8 mm)

Flowers: Each flower is a star ½-¾" (1.3-1.9 cm) in diameter, with six petals, appearing in small groups (umbels). Flowers are striped green on the outside, appearing from April to May.

Fruits: Fruits are 3-sided. containing many black seeds. Seeds ripen from June to July.

Edibility: Bulbs can cause dermatitis in some people, and is said to be poisonous to people and to grazing animals.

Medical: Despite serious safety concerns, people take star of Bethlehem for congestive heart failure (CHF) (WebMD.com). Don’t do this!

Online References:

The Plant Conservation Alliance’s Alien Plant Working Group Least Wanted List

Www.eddmaps.org

The Missouri Botanical Garden

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

References:

Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 370

5/6/2011 · Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Chester, Maryland
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

5/27/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

Ornithogalum umbellatum description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

5/27/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 5" (13 × 12 cm)

5/15/1979 · Virginia · By Tim Chandler

5/27/2017 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

5/15/1979 · Virginia · By Tim Chandler

5/6/2011 · Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Chester, Maryland
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

Range: Zones 4-9:

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