These little guys are about 4-6″ tall. Their leaves look like slightly thicker blades of dark green grass that sometimes have a light colored stripe down the middle. The bulbs are whitish-yellowish, and about the size of a pea but more of a teardrop shape. You can hardly dig a shovel of soil anywhere in the yard without running into at least one of these bulbs. Fortunately they don’t get very big, are gone before too long and aren’t a problem for me.
I did some digging on the net and I believe this is an Ornithogalum umbellatum aka Star of Bethlehem. A member of the Hyacinth or Lily family depending on who you ask. According to all but once source I found, this plant is poisonous, possibly (though rarely) fatal. Something to keep in mind if you have small children or grazing animals.
I’d say Star of Bethlehem, too.
Tends to be ‘weedy’ whereever it grows, but what a beautiful weed.
I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never seen them.Wow! They’re beautiful. They look sort of like a cross between a rainlily and a white daffodil. I wonder if they grow here…
Jenn
Yes I don’t mind them. I’ve read where they can be invasive in some areas but they would have to get pretty thick to be a problem for me.
M.
According to the USDA they do appear to grow in TX
I did a google search and it looks like most sources place this plant in the Lily family which makes more sense to me. I am not up on the naming game, was this one switched into/out of the Lily or Hyacinth family or did someone on Dave’s Garden get it wrong?
I think they could also be paper whites, a member of the daffodil family.