Star of Bethlehem is a perennial bulb, with lily-like flowers on a slender stem that reaches no more than 12 inches high. Over time, they cluster and have been noted as an invasive in riparian buffers, where Star of Bethlehem victoriously compete with native fauna. By 1940, it was found as far as Indiana, swept along water systems, where it thrived in the moist riverbanks. But its venture into North America took a far longer journey. Ornithogalum umbellatum derives from the Mediterranean region and is native to northern Africa. Similarly, its name derives from ancient Greek and Latin. Ὀρνίθων γάλα means “pigeon’s milk,” which is an ancient proverb meaning “any marvelous good-fortune” (Liddell & Scott, 1996:499). Umbellatum is derived from the Latin word, umbella, a feminine first declension noun that means “sunshade, parasol, or umbrella” (Lewis, 1996:886). It is convenient to note that this bulb likes both shade (consider the closely related word umbra or “shade” in Latin) and moisture (consider, too, umeo or “to be wet” in Latin). So, finding Star of Bethlehem in full bloom one mid-May day on the top of a knoll at the edge of a woods seems like marvelous good-fortune to me… Read More: