Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Asparagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Ornithogalum umbellatum ssp. umbellatum
FAMILY
Hyacinthaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Garden Star of Bethlehem from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ornithogalum umbellatum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Ornithogalum umbellatum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)
Ornithogalum umbellatum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-28-001:
Ornithogalum umbellatum FAMILY Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ornithogalum umbellatum
COMMON NAME:
Garden Star-of-Bethlehem, Snowflake, Nap-at-noon
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_orum_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm120329_162
March Greenville County SC
Flowers erect; perianth opening flat or bowl-shaped in sun, closing at night, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm120329_166
March Greenville County SC
Inflorescence a corymb, which elongates into a raceme as fruits develop, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm120329_173
March Greenville County SC
Leaves have a white stripe on upper surface & wither soon after flowering, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm120329_174
March Greenville County SC
The tepals are spreading and white with a broad green stripe on the back, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
COMPARE
False Garlic and Star-of-Bethlehem
)
JK Marlow jkm190406_7080
April Greenville County SC
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_o_umbellatum
April
Stamens about half the length of the perianth, the filaments membranous-winged, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_043022Oconaluftee36ed
April Swain County NC
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Ornithogalum umbellatum ssp. umbellatum
FAMILY
Hyacinthaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ornithogalum umbellatum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Ornithogalum umbellatum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Ornithogalum umbellatum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-28-001:
Ornithogalum umbellatum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ornithogalum umbellatum
990
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Lawns, old fields, bottomlands, forests, commonly cultivated, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Common (uncommon GA Mountains & SC Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal (plant scapose, leaves usually withered at flowering)
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White (green on back)
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals in two whorls of 3
6 stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
Inflorescence corymbose in flower, racemose in fruit
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer?
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p334
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p170
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p165
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p361
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p366
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p421
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p012
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p066
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".