Ornithogalum thyrsoides, a summer-flowering ornithogale

Native to South Africa, Ornithogalum thyrsoides belongs to the Asparagaceae family. Its large white flowers are perfect for attracting bees and making fragrant bouquets.

Ornithogalum thyrsoides measures up to 60 centimetres in height and 20 centimetres in spread. It is a bulbous perennial with a bushy, semi-erect habit.

Rolling leaves grow on the lower part of the stem. Light green, they can exceed 20 centimeters. Foliage is deciduous. As with ornithogalum saundersiae, it begins to wilt before flowering.

The flowers are grouped in a thyrse at the top of an erect flowering spike. Each spike can bear more than twenty flowers, which open gradually, starting with those at the base. The star-shaped flowers have six white and yellow stamens and six oval, white tepals with a yellow base. The fragrant bloom lasts all summer and attracts many pollinators.

Once pollinated, the flowers give rise to elongated pods. These fruits contain shiny black seeds.

Ornithogalum thyrsoides is toxic. All parts of the plant, especially the bulb, contain cardiotoxic glycosides. They are dangerous to humans and, above all, animals. If ingested, they cause vomiting, diarrhea, excessive salivation and abdominal pain. In severe cases, they can also cause heart problems (arrhythmia, bradycardia or fibrillation).