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Flowers and gardens

Star of Bethlehem – Dame de onze heures

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I love the name of these lovely little flowers in French which means “late morning ladyz In English. Ornithogalum umbelletum is also called Bath Asparagus. Dove’s Dung. Star of Hungary and White Filde Onyon. Mostly native to Southern Europe, they belong to the family Asparagaceae and grow from a bulb. Akin to onion and garlic, the bulbs are edible.
J’adore le nom de ces jolies petites fleurs de printemps de forme étoilée. L’Ornithogalum umbelletum ou ornithogale en ombelle, également étoile de Bethléem, est d’origine locale où il a pour habitat, les bois clairs, les talus, friches, bordure de rivière. Les ornithogales appartiennent à la famille des Liliacées, mais les botanistes les classent plus précisément parmi les Asparagacées, la même famille que les asperges. C’est une plante bulbleuse..

5 replies on “Star of Bethlehem – Dame de onze heures”

These are Greater Star of Bethlehem Ornithogalum umbellatum. Bath Asparagus is a different species, usually called Spiked Star of Bethlehem O. pyrenaicum. It also grows around here but flowers slightly later. The bud spikes are edible and used like asparagus. You sometimes see them in the market, sold as ‘wild asparagus’ (which technically it isn’t, as that is yet another species…)

Thank you, Susan. It’s very complicated to find correct information about flowers on the web. It’s often very contradictory. I love these flowers .

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