Flower Bio: Orange Star (Ornithogalum dubium)
Botanical Family: Hyacinthaceae (Hyacinth Family)
Related to: hyacinth, grape hyacinth, squill, bluebell
Born in: Orange Star is originally from the mountain slopes and flats of the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Bred by: In 1988, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Florist and Nursery Crops Laboratory partnered with the University of California at Irvine Arboretum to breed improved Orange Star for use as an indoor pot-plant.
All-Star Varieties: Yellow Star, Peach Star, Ivory Star
Fun Fact: The original wild flowers in Africa developed dark centers as an adaptation to attract monkey beetles for pollination.
Indoors or Outdoors?: This plant will survive outdoors all year in temperatures that stay above 0°F, but will also thrive in a brightly lit indoor location. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) recognized this plant as an Award of Garden Merit selection in 2002, which means Orange Star is a reliable performer in gardens where it’s hardy.
