Ornithogalum Dubium adds bright colors to winter landscapes, making it a popular plant throughout the world.
It is also known as the snake flower. These vibrant flowering bulbs – with their clusters of bright orange flowers – will brighten up pots and borders year after year.
You may hear the plant called by its common names, including:
- The Orange Star Plant
- Sun Star
- Star of Bethlehem
More on Ornithogalum plants:
This plant is a late fall or early winter bloomer and belongs to the Asparagaceae family, and comes from the Cape Province area of South Africa.
Ornithogalum Dubium is a showy plant producing large clusters of bright orange or red flowers and is easy to grow in pots.
Orange Star Plant Quick Care Tips
- Botanical Name: Ornithogalum dubium
- Common Name(s): Orange Star, Sun Star, Star of Bethlehem, Snake Flower
- Synonyms: None
- Pronunciation: Or-ni-THOG-al-um, DOO-bee-um
- Family & Origin: Asparagaceae family, native to South Africa, the Cape Province area
- Growability: Easy to grow
- Grow Zone: USDA zones 7-11
- Size: Can grow up to 1′ feet tall
- Flowering: Blooms in the spring with bright orange or red star-shaped flowers
- Light: Full sun or bright, indirect sunlight
- Humidity: Average humidity
- Temperature: Prefers warm temperatures between 62° to 71° degrees Fahrenheit
- Soil: Moist, well-draining soil
- Water: Water thoroughly when the top inch of soil is dry
- Fertilizer: Fertilize every 4 to 6 weeks during the spring and summer with a slow-release fertilizer
- Pests & Diseases: Susceptible to spider mites, thrips, and mealybugs. Prone to root rot if overwatered.
- Propagation: Can be propagated through seeds or by planting offsets
- Plant Uses: Makes a great addition to a sunny garden, winter landscape, or as a potted plant indoors.
Orange Star Plant Care
Size and Growth
The Star of Bethlehem typically only reaches about one foot tall.
It produces a cluster of 12″ to 15″ inch stems.
The stems contain ciliate leaf margins.
Most bulbs produce three to eight leaves, which typically appear yellow-green or green.
Flowering and Fragrance
A cluster of 15 to 20 blossoms appears in the spring.
The flowers are often bright orange or red in color.
Some varieties produce yellow flowers, while a few rare varieties produce white flowers with green or brown centers.
Light and Temperature
This sun star plant is native to South Africa and grows best in warm regions.
It can grow outdoors year-round in USDA hardiness zones 7 to 11. It prefers full sun or bright, indirect sunlight with temperatures of 62° to 71° degrees Fahrenheit.
The crucial thing is to ensure the foliage has enough air circulation. For indoor plants, it needs an average humidity to flourish.
In areas outside of the Southeast, the Orange Star is grown as a bulb plant or potted houseplant.
It needs full sun, helping to bring out the bright orange colors of the flowers.
Sun Star Plant Watering And Feeding
During the winter months, you can refrain from fertilizing and watering.
Water the sun star plant deeply when the top 2″ to 3″ inches of soil is dry.
It should require watering once or twice per week during the spring and summer and less frequent watering during the fall.
During the winter, it only needs water when the plant starts to wilt.
Use slow-release fertilizer for container plants.
Feed the plant every 4 to 6 weeks during the spring and summer.
NOTE: Avoid using too much fertilizer.
So start with a potting mix of the best quality. It should be light, pest-free, and sterile. If the potting mix has fertilizer in it, that’s even better.
An abundance of fertilizer can damage the plant and keep it from getting essential nutrients.
Soil and Transplanting
- The Orange Star plant requires moist soil with good drainage.
- For the best results, be sure to choose a pot with good drainage. Fill with specialist bulb compost with added grit or sand, and keep it well-watered but not waterlogged.
- If the soil becomes too dry, the flowers wilt easily, and the plant may not recover.
- Transplant container plants as needed, such as when it outgrows its container.
- Plants should also be repotted every two years to refresh the soil.
- We recommend removing the bulbs from the container and filling them with fresh sandy soil prepared with peat moss and perlite.
- For indoor plants, you can repot your orange star flower once a year in late summer. Choose a larger pot allowing for more room for the bulbs to grow.
Grooming Of Orange Star Plant
Remove wilted flowers to encourage longer blooms. Take a sterilized sharp knife to separate the offsets and plant them in pots or back into your flower garden. For dividing your plants, you can do this every six years.
Trimming the foliage back is also recommended.
Pruning the Orange Star encourages the plant to produce more side shoots and fuller blooms.
How to Propagate Ornithogalum Dubium
Propagate Orange Star using seeds or offsets.
When the flowers wilt toward the end of summer or fall, the seed pods start to ripen and turn brown.
- Watch the plant and remove the seed pods before they drop.
- Use a paper sack to collect the pods and allow them to dry for about one week.
- Shake the seed pods and carefully open them to extract the seeds.
- Fill 6″ inch pots with standard potting soil.
- Scatter the seeds over the surface and then dust them with a light layer of potting soil.
- Add a thin layer of gravel on top of the potting soil to lock in moisture.
- By spring, the seedlings should emerge.
- Wait until leaves develop before transplanting to large pots.
To propagate the offsets, carefully remove the offsets using a shovel or spade.
- This works best in the summer or fall when the foliage starts to die back.
- Separate the clump of offsets into individual bulbs.
- Discard the dead or withered offsets.
- Plant the offsets in 6″ inch pots using well-drained soil.
- The pot should have drainage holes in the bottom.
- The bulbs should be placed at a depth equal to about twice the height of the bulbs.
- Space the bulbs at least 2″ inches apart.
- Keep the pot in a cool area and water regularly to keep the soil moist.
- New growth should appear by spring.
Ornithogalum Dubium Pest or Disease Problems
A common disease is root rot from overwatering your ornamental plants. While the plant is virtually pest and disease-free, it may suffer from occasional thrip infestations.
Thrips like to feed on the leaves and closed buds and leave tiny black spots.
Use a steady stream of cold water to remove the thrips.
Remove any infested branches.
TIP: Keeping weeds away from the plant may help reduce the risk of a thrip infestation.
Moreover, it’s prone to mealybugs and spider mites.
You can hose them down with water. You will need to isolate your plant and use a neem oil spray to douse the foliage if grown indoors.
Along with pests and diseases, the plant itself may pose a threat.
Ornithogalum Dubium is known to contain poisonous compounds.
The compounds are not a danger to the skin.
The biggest risk occurs when ingesting parts of the plant.
The toxins may cause abnormal heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, dilated pupils, and seizures.
It is rarely life-threatening but requires immediate attention.
Suggested Orange Star Plant Uses
The compact Orange Star is often used as a houseplant to add color to a room.
No matter where it is grown, remember to keep it away from children and pets due to the toxicity of the plant.