Gagea lutea
(L.) Ker Gawl.
Liliaceae
Gagea elegans Wall. ex G.Don
Gagea fascicularis Salisb.
Gagea glauca Blocki
Gagea glauca Sweet
Gagea indica Pascher
Gagea lowariensis Pascher
Gagea moorcroftiana Wall.
Gagea sylvatica (Pers.) G.Don
Gagea szepusiana Ullep.
Gagea transsilvanica Schur
Ornithogalum luteum L.
Ornithogalum majus Gilib.
Ornithogalum persoonii Hoppe
Ornithogalum sylvaticum Pers.
Ornithoxanthum luteum (L.) Link
Ornithoxanthum persoonii (Hoppe) Link
Ornithoxanthum sylvaticum (Pers.) Link
Solenarium luteum (L.) Dulac
Stellaster luteus (L.) Kuntze
Common Name: Yellow Star Of Bethlehem
General Information
Gagea lutea is a perennial plant growing from a small bulb around 5 - 10mm in diameter. It produces a cluster of grass-like leaves and a flowering stem arounf 5 - 13cm tall[
372- Title
- Flowers of India
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.flowersofindia.net/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A wed site of native Indian plants, plus cultivated and naturalized species. It has good quality photos and terse details on more than 3,000 species and cultivars.
].
The plant is occasionally harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
Europe and W. Asia - Norway, UK and Spain, east to west Siberia, Kazakhstan and the Himalayas; E. Asia - Japan, Korea
Habitat
Damp woods and pastures, especially on basic soils[
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Bulb |
| Height | 0.15 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Gagea lutea is a moderately cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to around -20°c, with the dormant bulb withstanding soil temperatures down to at least -10°c[
214- Title
- The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Matthews. V.
- Publisher
- Royal Horticultural Society
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
- 1352-4186
- Description
- A quarterly magazine, it has articles on Himalayacalamus hookerianus, hardy Euphorbias and an excellent article on Hippophae spp.
].
Requires a moist soil, preferring one on the alkaline side of neutral, and succeeding in sun or shade.
Edible Uses
Bulb - raw or cooked[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
,
105- Title
- Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
- Publisher
- Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
,
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
]. A famine food, it is only used in times of scarcity[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
].
Young leaves - cooked.
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Sow the seed thinly so that there is no need to transplant them, and grow the seedlings on in the same pot in the greenhouse for their first year or two. Give an occasional liquid feed to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when the plants are dormant, placing 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another year or two in the greenhouse before planting them out when they are dormant.
Division. We have no details of when is the best time to divide the bulbs but suggest doing it after the leaves die down in the summer.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
