Ornithogalum pilosum, Ornithogalum pyrenaicum, Ornithogalum umbellatum.

Ornithogalum pilosum Linn. f. Liliaceae.

South Africa. The roots, according to Pallas, are eaten by the Greeks of the Crimea.

Ornithogalum pyrenaicum Linn. Prussian Asparagus. Star-Of-Bethlehem.

Europe and adjoining Asia. In England, the young shoots of this plant are used as asparagus.

Ornithogalum umbellatum Linn. Dove's Dung. Star-Of-Bethlehem.

Northern Africa, Asia Minor and Europe. The bulbs, says Johnson, are very nutritious and form a palatable and wholesome food when boiled. In the East they are often eaten and were probably the dove's dung mentioned in the Bible.


Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World, 1919, was edited by U. P. Hedrick.