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star-of-Bethlehem

 
Dictionary: star-of-Beth·le·hem   (stär'əv-bĕth'lĭ-hĕm')
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n., pl., star-of-Bethlehem, or stars-of-Bethlehem (stärz'-).
  1. Any of numerous bulbous perennial herbs of the genus Ornithogalum in the lily family, especially O. arabicum or O. umbellatum, native to the Mediterranean region and having narrow leaves and a cluster of star-shaped white flowers.
  2. Any of several similar or related plants.

[After the star that guided the Magi to Bethlehem.]


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Columbia Encyclopedia: star-of-Bethlehem
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star-of-Bethlehem, in botany, low, spring-blooming bulbous plant (Ornithogalum umbellatum) of the family Liliaceae (lily family), native to the Mediterranean region but naturalized in North America and cultivated in gardens. The plant has rather stiff, grasslike leaves and a cluster of white star-shaped flowers marked on the back with green. It spreads easily and tends to become weedy. Although the fresh plant is poisonous, the bulbs have been prepared and used as food in the Old World. The flower has been associated with the star that guided the Wise Men to the manger (see Star of Bethlehem). The star-of-Bethlehem is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Liliopsida, order Liliales, family Liliaceae.

WordNet: star-of-Bethlehem
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: any of several perennial plants of the genus Ornithogalum native to the Mediterranean and having star-shaped flowers

Wikipedia: Ornithogalum
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Ornithogalum

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Hyacinthaceae
Genus: Ornithogalum
L.
Species

See text.

Ornithogalum is a genus of perennial plants mostly native to southern Europe and southern Africa[1] belonging to the family Hyacinthaceae. There are some species native to other areas such as the Caucasus.[2] Growing from a bulb, it has grass-like basal leaves and a slender stalk, up to 30 cm tall, bearing clusters of star-shaped white flowers striped with green. There are numerous members of the genus, of which O. umbellatum is perhaps the best-known:

O. arabicum (Star-of-Bethlehem)
O. dubium (Sun Star)
O. longibracteatum (Pregnant Onion/False Sea Onion)
O. maculatum (Snake Flower)
O. narbonense (Pyramidal Star-of-Bethlehem)
O. nutans (Drooping Star-of-Bethlehem)
O. pyrenaicum (Bath Asparagus/Prussian Asparagus/Spiked Star-of-Bethlehem)
O. umbellatum (Common Star-of-Bethlehem)
O. thyroides (Chincherinchee)

Because of its star-shaped flowers, it is named for the Star of Bethlehem that appeared in the Biblical account of the birth of Jesus.

Other species of Ornithogalum include:

O. britteniae[3]
Ornithogalum neurostegium
O. canadense
O. clanwilliamae-gloria
O. conicum
O. cooperi
O. flaccidum
O. fragrans
O. graminifolium
O. imbricatum
O. strictum

Toxicity

Some of the plants in the genus are poisonous, and have been known to kill grazing animals. Others are edible and used as vegetables. These flowers' bulbs contain alkaloids[citation needed] and cardenolides[1], which are toxic.

References

  1. ^ a b "Ornithogalum Linnaeus". Flora of North America. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=123199. 
  2. ^ "Ornithogalum L.". Ornamental Plants From Russia And Adjacent States Of The Former Soviet Union. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=120&taxon_id=123199. 
  3. ^ AP Dold (2003), "The rediscovery of Ornithogalum britteniae (Hyacinthaceae) and an amendment to the description", South African Journal of Botany 69 (4): 500–504, http://www.ajol.info/viewarticle.php?id=12306&jid=118&layout=abstract 

External links


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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ornithogalum".  Read more