Plants→Ornithogalum→Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum)

A common and attractive wildflower (bulb) in Illinois found alongside roads, lawns, fields, open woods, and disturbed sites. Star shaped flowers are about 1" across on stalks up to a foot high, each bearing 3 to 7 flowers. Flowers have 6 petals, with a green stripe on the back of each petal. The leaves are grasslike and also have a stripe (white) down the middle.
This European native.is very aggressive, producing more bulbs at an impressive and rapid rate. Difficult to eradicate once established. Toxic alkaloids present in the leaves and bulbs.
Blooms April - June.

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This is an invasive and/or weedy plant in KY, according to: http://plants.usda.gov/java/in..., which I realized today.

I wished I had known that years ago when I planted the bulbs. It was the first fall in our new house and the first fall for me living in KY with a yard.

It has taken over and gone beyond the area where I had planted a few bulbs. It has been difficult to get rid of all of it. Every spring when the sun is shining on it and I see it in bloom, I try to pull up the flower stems and the leaves surrounding it. I try to be careful, as I have other plants growing around and next to these plants.

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From one clump when we bought the house, until 30 years later, I have somehow spread these bulbs in many corners of the garden and yard, even in the lawn. In my garden most clumps bloom poorly and are thick with small bulbs and the trademark white striped leaves. With frequent thinning I guess you could get a lot of nice bloom.

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