Ornithogalum pyrenaicum

Bath Asparagus Asparagaceae

A rather deceptive member of the asparagus family: it spends spring looking like a rather unremarkable bulbous plant, then produces tall spikes of greenish-white, star-shaped flowers just as the strap-like foliage is disappearing. Ornithogalum pyrenaicum is native from western and central Europe through the Mediterranean to the Caucasus, including Britain, where it is particularly associated with the woods around Bath. 

The common name Bath Asparagus is entirely deserved. The young, unopened flowering shoots were traditionally harvested and cooked like asparagus, with a delicate flavour described as somewhere between asparagus, pea and artichoke. The harvest is made before the first flowers open, when the flower spike is still tightly packed. 

There is, however, an important modern caveat: reports of adverse reactions mean it should not be treated as an entirely risk-free edible, and wild plants should certainly not be harvested. 

A charming, unusual bulb for sun or light shade and well-drained soil, particularly good naturalised in grass or open woodland.

Height: 50–60cm | Spread: 20–30cm
Flowering: June–July | Foliage: Deciduous
Hardiness: H6 (-20 to -15°C)