Ornithogalum umbellatum
| Ornithogalum umbellatum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 0.5' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Ornithogalum umbellatum (common name: star of bethlehem)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1]. Sow the seed thinly and leave the seedlings undisturbed in the pots for their first dormancy, but apply liquid feed at intervals, especially in their second year of growth. Divide the bulbs at the end of their second year of growth, putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for one more year and them plant them out into their permanent positions whilst they are dormant. The seed can also be sown in a cold frame in early spring.
Division of offsets in September/October[1]. The larger bulbs can be replanted immediately into their permanent positions. It is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on for a year before planting them out when dormant in late summer.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, succeeding in an ordinary garden soil[2][3]. Tolerates partial shade[1].
Hardy to about -20°c[1]. The dormant bulbs are very hardy and will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -10°c[4].
A very ornamental plant[2], but it can be invasive where conditions suit it[1]. It can be naturalized in short turf or thin grass below shrubs[1], though this should not be mown from the time the bulbs start to grow until they have set seed and the leaves are dying down.
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to the Mediterranean.
Habitat: Grassy places in eastern England[5][6].
Edibility: Bulb - raw or cooked[7][5][8][9][10]. The bulbs can be dried and ground into a powder[11]. Whilst the bulbs are palatable and wholesome according to some reports[7][12][13], some caution is advised. See the notes above on toxicity.
Flowers - baked in bread[10].
Medicinal: A homeopathic remedy is made from the bulbs[12]. It is useful in the treatment of certain forms of cancer[12].
The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'After effect of shock, mental or physical'[14]. It is also one of the five ingredients in the 'Rescue remedy'[14].
Pollinators: Insects, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Mid Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Skin contact with the bulb can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[15]. The bulb contains alkaloids and is poisonous[7][16]. Another report says that the bulb is poisonous to grazing animals[10].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ Matthews, Victoria. The New Plantsman Volume 1. Royal Horticultural Society, 1994.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chancellor, Philip. Illustrated Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies. C W Daniel, 1985.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.