Star of Bethlehem is a beautiful, May-blooming bulbous perennial in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae) native to Europe and the Mediterranean region. At maturity, the plant will reach a height of 1 foot and a spread of 2 feet. It will produce fragrant, white flowers in late spring and early summer. The flowers are striped green on the outside and open near noon and close at sunset or in cloudy weather. The genus name comes from the Greek words ornis, meaning a bird, and gala, meaning milk, referring to the white flowers. The species epithet refers to the fact that the inflorescence is an umbel. It grows best in moist, fertile, well-drained soil in full sunlight or partial sunlight that is afternoon or morning only and even in 25% shade. Once established, it tolerates summer drought but requires moisture during the growing season. Plants go dormant after blooming and do not like heavy moisture from late summer rains. When planting, bury 5 inches to the base of the bulb and space 2 to 3 inches apart, or 20 to 25 per square foot. Propagate by digging bulbs, removing the offsets and replanting. Star of Bethlehem is ideal for use in beds, borders, as ground covers, in rock gardens, and in woodland gardens. This plant is considered hardy but can be injured at temperatures below 5 degrees F (-15C). Star of Bethlehem can be an aggressive spreader in the garden, will quickly naturalize in garden areas, and often escapes into the wild. It forms dense colonies that can exclude other species during the spring. Self-sown seedlings may appear. It is best sited in areas where it will not disturb other plants. This species is a Class C Noxious Weed in Alabama. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or diseases. Bulb rot can occur in poorly drained soils. More information on Ornithogalum .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect; Mounding
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Rosette of basal linear leaves about 6 to 12 inches long and up to ¼ inch across. They curve upward from the base and bend downward around the middle. There is often a white stripe in the middle of each leaf, smooth margins, and parallel venation. Leaves begin to droop and fade in late spring or early summer as the blooms begin.
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Cut; Showy
Flower form
Cyme; Raceme; Umbel
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
From the center of the rosette, there develops one or more flowering stalks about 6 to 9 inches tall. Each stem bears 10 to 20 starry white flowers (each 3/4 of an inch wide) in an open, umbel-like, terminal cluster. Blooms in late spring, around May and lasting through June. Each flower consists of 6 white tepals, 6 stamens, and a single pistil. A green stripe is along the outer side of each tepal. A has a white filament underneath that is lanceolate or narrowly triangular in shape (tapering at the top) and is a distinctive characteristic for this species.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Each flower is replaced by a 3-celled seed capsule containing several black seeds.
Stem detail
Flower bearing stems (6 to 8 inches high) rise in late spring to early summer.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East.
Distribution
Introduced to United States, east of the Mississippi, Canada, Baltic states, and southern Australia.