The Star Lily is drought-tolerant, flowering, herbaceous perennial in the asparagus family. It is an early spring wildflower common to the desert and sandy or rocky areas of the western United States. It is a relatively small plant, maturing to 4 inches high, with white, star-shaped flowers, that bloom close to the ground among the grass-like leaves in May and June. The Star Lily does best in moist, sandy, alkaline soils with good drainage and sited in full sun. This plant is a geophyte and dies back to the roots during the hot desert summer, but regenerates when conditions are more favorable. The plant is noted in the scientific community because of an unusual difference among populations of the plant in the way pollen is distributed. Plant populations in the Rocky Mountains and Nevada shed their pollen individually, while populations in western Nevada and the West Coast shed their pollen in groups of four. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.