BASTARD STAR-OF-BETHLEHEM: A genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the hexandra class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the roth order, Coronariae. The characters are: The calyx is wanting: The corolla consists of five oval oblong petals, which are persistent: The filaments consist of five three-sided filaments the length of the corolla: Of these, three are fertile, with versatile anthers; three are barren, without anthers: The pistil has an oblong three-sided germen; the style is three-sided: The pericarpium is an oblong obtuse triangular capsule, having three cells and three valves: The seeds are numerous, flat, and incumbent. Of this genus Linnaeus reckons only two species:

Species. 1. The major, or star-flower, with spear-shaped leaves. This is a native of Canada, and some other parts of North America: the root is bulbous; from whence shoot up eight or ten long, narrow, spear-shaped leaves. In the centre of these arises a flower-stem, a foot or more in height, garnished with a loose spike of greenish yellow flowers. After the flowers are past, the germen swells to a three-cornered capsule, having three cells filled with flat seeds. 2. The minor, or African star-flower, is a native of the Cape of Good Hope. This hath also a pretty large bulbous root, from which arise four or five narrow awl-shaped leaves, of a deep green colour; the flower-stem, which comes from the center of the root, is naked, and rarely rises more than eight or nine inches high, having five or six greenish-yellow flowers, growing almost in the form of an umbel at top: these are rarely succeeded by seeds in Britain.

Culture. The Canada albuca is hardy; so the roots may be planted about four inches deep in a border of light earth, where they will thrive and produce their flowers late in the summer: but as the seeds do not often ripen in Britain, and the bulbs put out few offsets, the plants are not common in this country. The African sort generally flowers twice a-year; first in March or April, and again in July or August; and if its roots are kept in pots filled with light earth, sheltered under a hot-bed frame, they will flower even in winter; but the best method is to have a border in the front of a greenhouse, or stove, where the roots of most of the bulbous flowers may be planted in the full ground, and screened in winter from frost: in such situations they thrive much better, and flower stronger, than when kept in pots.