Ornithogalum thyrsoides

Ornithogalum thyrsoides, commonly the star of Bethlehem or in Afrikaans tjienkerientjee, is a bulbous perennial and also a well-known garden plant and cut flower that reaches heights from 20 cm to 80 cm.

The species is found in the Western Cape from the Agulhas Plain to the Cape Peninsula and to Namaqualand in the west of the Northern Cape.

While the distribution of this plant is wide enough to suggest safe survival, overgrazing, poor land management and the rate of human development are causing some habitat loss that may in future bring threat to continuation of the species in the veld, as judged by population decrease. This hasnt impacted to an extent where threat is considered significant yet, so the verdict early in the twenty first century is least concern (Manning, 2009; www.plantzafrica.com; http://redlist.sanbi.org).