Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Ornithogalum angustifolium

Family

Asparagaceae

Flowering season

May to June

English distribution

It is found mainly in southern areas and East Anglia.

It is scattered elsewhere.

See the BSBI distribution map for Star-of-Bethlehem

Habitat

It grows on rough farm land and grassy banks, and in

open woodland.

It is probably a neophyte, introduced to England in the

1540s and recorded in the wild by the 1650s.

Clapham, Tutin and Warburg, in their Flora of the British

Isles (1957), suggested that it is native in East Anglia.

Description

Star-of-Bethlehem is a sprawling, perennial, bulbous herb,

growing up to 30cm.

Between 5 and 15 flowers are on a a main stem, which

is up to 30cm long.

Individual flower stems are up to 10cm.

Flowers are up to 38mm and have 6 bright white petals,

which mainly open in sunshine.

The back of the petals has a broad green stripe.

The filaments of the 6 stamens are flattened and have

yellow anthers.

The capsule has 6 segments, is oval and up to 1cm.

Bracts are thin and almost white.

The leaves are up to 30cm and grooved with a white

mid-rib stripe.

They are not shown here as they had already shrivelled

and disappeared.