Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Europe
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Bulbs
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

A perennial bulb that sends up grass-like leaves and star-shaped white flowers with a green stripe on each petal's underside. Its blooms open only in bright daylight, closing up on cloudy days and every night, which has earned it the nickname 'nap-at-noon'.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Genus: Ornithogalum
Species: Ornithogalum umbellatum