© 2011 Patty Hankins
When I was in the Smoky Mountains in April I spotted a lovely little white wildflower that I wasn’t to identify. You can imagine my surprise when I found is growing in my garden in Bethesda a few weeks later. I assumed it was one of the native plants that had decided it wanted a place in my garden.
© 2011 Patty Hankins
You can imagine my surprise when I finally identified it as Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) and discovered that it’s not native to the United States. Instead, it is native to Souther and Central Europe, Northwestern Africa and Southwestern Asia. After escaping from cultivated gardens, Star of Bethlehem is naturalizing in many locations. It currently can be found in the wild in the entire Eastern half of the US and Canada, along the West Coast of both countries and in some states in between. In Alabama it is classified as a Class C noxious weed and in Connecticut it is listed as potentially invasive but not banned.
© 2011 Patty Hankins
A member of the lily family, Star of Bethlehem grows to 12″ tall. The basal leaves are up to 12″ long, with a distinct white stripe on the back. There can be clusters of many flowers in within each plant. The flower has six white petals each with a green stripe on the back. Once I learned to identify Star of Bethlehem, it was easy to recognize it.
© 2011 Patty Hankins
Star of Bethlehem is toxic to humans. There are reports of it being used in herbal preparations and eaten raw. Great caution should be used to make sure than any consumption is done safely if it has to eaten.
© 2011 Patty Hankins
If you’d like more information about Star of Bethlehem, you can find it on the following websites:
Burke Museum of Natural History
That’s really pretty. We have this species dotted about our garden, in eastern England. It’s considered a weed, in some places, but I love it and welcome its spreading in our turf and some of the borders.