A perennial bulb, up to 30 cm tall with 4-9 long strap like, hairless, annual leaves with a white stripe down the middle and clusters of white flowers with a green band down the back of the petals.
Description:
Cotyledons:
One.
First Leaves:
Long and narrow, green with white stripe down the centre.
Leaves:
4-9 leaves that all arise from the bulb. Blade - Long, narrow, flat or channelled, 200-400 mm long by 2-8 mm wide, lax, green with white stripe down the centre. Hairless. Ligule - None Auricles - None Stem leaves - none.
Stems:
True stem underground.
Flower stem - Leafless, cylindrical, erect, 100-300 mm tall.
Flower head:
Loose, flat topped, corymbose raceme wit 4-20 flowers at the end of the single flower stem. Flowers on stalks with a bract at the base which is as long as or shorter than the flower stalks (pedicels).
Flowers:
White and star like on stalks up to100 mm long on lower flowers.
Ovary - 3 celled
Style - short, 3-4 mm long, undivided.
Petals - 6 in 2 rings, White on top with a wide green band on the back, free, 15-20 mm long, spear shaped to oblong.
Stamens - 6
Filaments - lance shaped, flat with pointed tips
Anthers - Yellow, versatile
Fruit:
Egg shaped, angular capsule with about 20 seeds
Seeds:
Black, oval to spherical, 2 mm diameter. Surface rough and hairless.
Roots:
Egg shaped bulb, 20-50 mm diameter with fleshy layers and numerous bulbils at the base plus feeder roots.
Key Characters:
Aerial stem and inflorescence simple
Leaves al basal.
Inflorescence corymbose, 5-15 flowered.
Flowers bisexual, pedicellate, always 1 in the axil of each bract.
Perianth segments less than 20 mm long.
Filaments never bearded
Adapted from John Black.
Biology:
Life cycle:
Perennial or annual. Grows from seeds, bulbils and bulbs. Flowers in spring
Physiology:
Reproduction:
By seed, bulbs and bulbils. Bulbils move in water flows.
Flowering times:
Spring.
September to October in SA.
Seed Biology and Germination:
Vegetative Propagules:
Bulb and bulbils.
Hybrids:
Population Dynamics and Dispersal:
Spread by seed. Bulbils spread in water flows and by ants. Main spread is by intentional planting and the dumping of garden refuse.
Origin and History:
Europe. Mediterranean
Distribution:
NSW, SA, TAS, VIC, WA.
Weed of turf in the USA and Canada.
Habitats:
Climate:
Temperate.
Soil:
Usually in swampy low lying areas.
Plant Associations:
Significance:
Beneficial:
Ornamental.
Edible bulbs but contain toxic alkaloids.
Detrimental:
Weed of disturbed areas, rotation crops, perennial crops and grass land.
Acts as an alternative host for Barley rust.
Toxicity:
Bulbs contain toxic alkaloids.
Toxic to grazing animals.
Symptoms:
Treatment:
Legislation:
None.
Management and Control:
Crop infested paddocks with cereals and use sulfonylurea herbicides.
6 L/ha bromoxynil200 plus 60 g/ha metsulfuron plus 0.25% wetting agent have provided the best control in trials.
Tolerant to 2,4-D, clopyralid, dicamba, glyphosate, imazaquin, mecoprop, triclopyr.
Thresholds:
Eradication strategies:
6 L/ha bromoxynil200 plus 60 g/ha metsulfuron plus 0.25% wetting agent have provided the best control in trials (Main et al, 2004).
Try imazapyr, imazethapyr, chlorsulfuron or metsulfuron. Glyphosate is probably ineffective. Try cultivation in summer to desiccate bulbs.
Herbicide resistance:
Biological Control:
Related plants:
Chincherinchee (Ornithogalum thyrsoides)
Lesser Cape Lily (Ornithogalum arabicum)
Ornithogalum longibracteatum
Ornithogalum pyramidale
Plants of similar appearance:
Agapanthus (Agapanthus praecox) is larger has more leaves and usually has blue flowers in globular heads.
Grape Hyacinth (Muscari species) has blue, globular flowers.
Soldiers (Lachenalia aloides) has brown blotches on the leaves and tubular yellow flowers on reddish brown stems.
Tulips (Tulipa species) look similar when young but have single flowers later.
References:
Black, J.M. (1965). Flora of South Australia. (Government Printer, Adelaide, South Australia). P354.
Bodkin, F. (1986). Encyclopaedia Botanica. (Angus and Robertson, Australia).