Ornithogalum thyrsoides

"Wonder flower" redirects here. Not to be confused with Wonder Flower (Mario).

Ornithogalum thyrsoides
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Scilloideae
Tribe: Ornithogaleae
Genus: Ornithogalum
Species:
O. thyrsoides
Binomial name
Ornithogalum thyrsoides
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Eliokarmos ceresianus (F.M.Leight.) Mart.-Azorín, M.B.Crespo & Juan
    • Eliokarmos coarctatum (Jacq.) Raf.
    • Eliokarmos thyrsoides (Jacq.) Raf.
    • Lomaresis alba Raf.
    • Myogalum coarctatum (Jacq.) Endl.
    • Myogalum thyrsoides (Jacq.) Endl.
    • Ornithogalum bicolor Haw.
    • Ornithogalum ceresianum F.M.Leight.
    • Ornithogalum coarctatum Jacq.
    • Ornithogalum conicum Willd. ex Kunth nom. inval.
    • Ornithogalum gilgianum Schltr. ex Poelln.
    • Ornithogalum grimaldiae Nocca
    • Ornithogalum hermannii F.M.Leight.
    • Ornithogalum revolutum Jacq.
    • Tomoxis coarctata (Jacq.) Raf.

Ornithogalum thyrsoides[2] is a bulbous plant species that is endemic to the Cape Province in South Africa. It is also known by the common names of chinkerinchee or chincherinchee, star-of-Bethlehem or wonder-flower.[3] It produces long-lasting flowers prized as cut flowers.[4]

Description

It is perennial, attaining 29–50 cm (11–20 in) in height, becoming dormant during winter. It produces half-a-dozen fleshy leaves which die after flowering - the leaves being some 15–30 cm (5.9–11.8 in) in length and 0.5 to 1.5 cm in width, lanceolate, smooth and soft-textured. The flowers are in a compact raceme of 30-50 or in a loose corymb of 5-20 flowers. The flowers are bowl-shaped with green bracts of approximate pedicel length. Flowers are white to creamy-white, with brown or green centres fading with age. They are seen from October to February, and are phototropic (turning towards the sun). The spindle-shaped capsular fruit holds black, shiny seeds of diverse shapes.

History and names

The plant was first named under the Linnaean System by the Dutch-born botanist Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin in 1776, shortly after the plant was introduced into Dutch gardens.[4] It has been cultivated in temperate Europe ever since.

The Latin specific epithet thyrsoides refers to a specific type of inflorescence, the thyrse - and ultimately to a type of ancient Greek staff or wand, the thyrsus.[5]

The common name chincherinchee is a translation of the Afrikaans name for this species, tjienkerientjee, which refers to the sound made by stalks rubbed together,[4]

Cultivation

O. thyrsoides has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[6][7] It is grown in a sunny or partially shaded sheltered spot. The plant becomes dormant shortly after flowering in spring and early summer. The dormant bulb must not be exposed to freezing temperatures.

References

  1. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  2. ^ Thyrsoides: with a flowering spike like a Bacchic thyrsus.
  3. ^ "Ornithogalum thyrsoides". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c "Ornithogalum thyrsoides". PlantZAfrica.com. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  5. ^ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 184533731X.
  6. ^ "RHS Plantfinder - Ornithogalum thyrsoides". Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  7. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 64. Retrieved 14 April 2018.

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