Commonly called Star of Bethlehem, O. umbellatum is currently in bloom here in SLC. It puts up its leaves early in the spring in big bunches. Sorry I have no photos of this. Anyway, it looks a lot like the Muscari, but Muscari leaves flop and twist more. In March, while walking to get coffee on the weekend (when I do most of my urban botanizing) I was telling JJ that I was unsure what species this was and he thought it was just more Muscari, which at the time was also not flowering. I trust JJ when it comes to plants, his mom owns a flower shop and he made the bouquets for my wedding, but this just didn't feel right to me. Well, 2 months later and I can prove JJ wrong. He is a great scientist, really knows his algae, but I am better at guessing urban plants.
O. umbellatum is a perennial in the Asparagaceae family that is native to north Africa and Europe. I think its flowers are so pretty. It is an escaped ornamental species throughout most of the US, just missing in a few western states.
O. umbellatum is a perennial in the Asparagaceae family that is native to north Africa and Europe. I think its flowers are so pretty. It is an escaped ornamental species throughout most of the US, just missing in a few western states.