Commonly known as Star of Bethlehem, this genus includes some that are almost prostrate, while others are tall plants. What they have in common is their white starry flowers, carried in tight clusters. The bulbs usually multiply quite quickly, so a good display is easy to obtain.

Ornithogalum pyrenaicum is naturalised in parts of south-west England, where it is known as the Bath asparagus, but it comes from southern Europe, as far south as Morocco and as far east as the Crimea. So the name 'pyrenaicum' does not tell the whole truth. It has narrow, glaucous leaves, and a tall loose spike of narrow-petalled, starry flowers, basically white but tinged with green or creamy yellow.