Habit
Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova · CC BY-SA 4.0
Spring starflower
Ipheion uniflorum (Lindl.) Raf.
Also known as: Starflower
Family: Amaryllidaceae
10 to 20 cm tall
Borders, rock gardens and under shrubs; planted in a dense carpet in autumn
Flowering: March – April
Full sun
Part shade
Fairly hardy to about -12°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Despite its discreet flower scent, its crushed foliage smells distinctly of garlic, a clue to its kinship with the allium family.
🍃 Leaves
Narrow, strap-shaped, giving off a garlic smell when crushed, appearing in autumn and persisting over winter
🌸 Flowers
Solitary, star-shaped, pale blue to white, lightly scented, borne on a slender scape
🍎 Fruits
Small capsule with black seeds
🪵 Bark
Not applicable — herbaceous bulbous plant
🗺️ Distribution
Native to South America (Argentina, Uruguay); widely grown and naturalised in temperate gardens
🐝 Value for pollinators
Small nectar-rich flowers visited by early bees
✂️ Horticultural uses
Used at the edge of borders or as ground cover under shrubs, multiplies spontaneously by bulbils
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Bulb potentially irritant if ingested (alkaloids similar to those of other Amaryllidaceae), which may cause mild digestive upset in pets or young children.
🌿 Other Amaryllidaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.
© Floraneo — profile content is protected; reproduction without permission is prohibited. Photos remain under their own licence (see the credit shown on each photo).