The star of Bethlehem, Ornithogalum, includes many species, none of which are native to this country. Hence, they are known to readers only in the cultivated state.
The genus belongs to one of the largest and best-known groups of flowering plants – the lily family, numerous species of which are grown in the home, the garden, and the greenhouse.
The family includes several perennial plants vegetatively propagated through bulbs, although the seed may be used in some of them as a propagule.
They are characterized by the regularity in form and number of the flower parts, such as the petals and the sepals, which may be colored and white. They are invariably composed of six parts, in most species, similar in form.
The stamens, bearing the pollen, as is well known, are also six in number. The seeds are borne in the ovary, composed of three parts or carpels. When the ovary matures, it becomes a dry fruit.
This may be a capsule, as in the Star of Bethlehem, or a fleshy berry-like the lily-of-the-valley.
The flower parts in some liliaceous plants, like daffodils, tulips, and others, have doubled due to genetic changes, but not so with the Ornithogalum.
Lily Of The Field
There can be no doubt that the flowers of the lily family are unsurpassed in their beauty. It has never been suggested, so far as the writer knows, that the star of Bethlehem may have been the “lily of the field” referred to by the Saviour.
Some botanists think, though, that this lily may have been sternbergia, a beautiful liliaceous plant that grew in abundance where He lived and taught His people.
The common name, star of Bethlehem, is more properly applied to a single species, known botanically as Ornithogalum umbellatrum, which is distinguished from the other species commonly grown in this country by its perianth parts (petals and sepals) which are exactly alike and greenish-white.
Another species, known in its native African haunts as the chincherinchee plant, Ornithogalum thyrsoides, bears perfectly white flowers. Perhaps the most commonly grown and beautiful species is Ornithogalum arabicum which also produces white flowers with dark green centers.
The flowers of this species are surpassed, however, by Ornithogalum splenden, the perianth being deep vermilion.
The individual flowers of most species are borne in racemes on stalks that may exceed 3’ feet in height. The writer has observed the leaves in ornithogalum umbellatum grow to a length of about 2′ feet.
One may begin with the seed, which may be purchased or obtained from a plant after the flowering period.
Blooming Plants With Large Bulbs
Although the seed germinates in moist soil, peat, or vermiculite, the seedlings may require three years to produce blooming plants. It is advisable to start the plants with bulbs.
If large bulbs, which may exceed two and a half inches in diameter, can be obtained, it is not difficult to grow vigorous blooming plants with proper culture.
The bulb may be planted just below the surface of the soil in a six or eight-inch flower pot, filled to within an inch from the top with a mixture of equal parts of loam, sand, and peat.
To facilitate good drainage and aeration, it is advisable to place small pieces of charcoal or pottery in the bottom of the pot before it is filled with the soil mixture. The bulb’s jar should be watered and placed in a cool place in the cellar until the bulb is well-rooted.
It should then be set in a warm and well-lighted room. A higher temperature than that of the living room favors growth and bloom. Plants started in late September should flower in January.
New bulbs are produced in all species by a vegetative method, commonly known as division. Bulbs formed in this manner originate from the outer basal portion of the primary bulb.
If detached and planted, they will usually germinate at once and may conic into bloom in a year or two.
Some species, such as Ornithogalum arabicum, are also produced by runners. In Ornithogalum umbellatum, they are often formed in large numbers, apparently from the “covers” of the bulb. These, however, originate from the outer portion of the stem.
Since most of the Ornithogalum is not hardy, except the familiar Ornithogalum umbellatum, the bulbs must be taken up in the Fall if the plants are grown in the garden and stored for future planting.
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