Ornithogalum umbellatum (Star-of-Bethelehem)

Description

This 1′ tall heirloom bulb comes up in the fall is covered with white and green flowers in Spring and dies back in the summer. It attracts bees and butteflies. Flowers open during midday and close at night. Although the bulbs have been consumed as food and medicine as some, other accounts suggest they are toxic. They are toxic to grazing animals, so they should be deer-resistant. They will naturalize in gardens but are not invasive in natural habitats. Plant in places that are sunny or partly sunny during winter. They adapt to all but the wettest and driest places. We propagated our plants from what was the only known naturalized population of this species in Beaufort County, SC. It has since been filled in and converted to a homesite. I am glad that we saved some before they were extirpated