A plant was recently brought in as a weed in a corn/soybean rotation that caused me to spend a few minutes going through possibilities and then deciding I had something different.
At first it looked like onion, but the bulbs did not have an onion odor, maybe wild garlic but no garlic odor, it really had no odor at all. I then noticed a distinct white mid-vein. The flower bud was there but not yet open could only tell that the plant had a white flower. A few minutes on the web and I had identified Star-of-Bethlehem. Not an common weed in a corn/soybean rotation that is in fact an escaped horticultural plant found in northern US and Canada. As you can see from the field view picture, the plants can be very thick in the field and one can image planting difficulties plus the potential moisture loss. The bulbs range from very small up to about quarter size. When in flowering you can note the 6 petal, white flower. The plant primarily spread by the bulbs so field to field spread is from tillage. Research from Southern Illinois University showed the best 12 month control came from Gramoxone application in the spring.
SIU Factsheet on Star-of-Bethlehem.
At first it looked like onion, but the bulbs did not have an onion odor, maybe wild garlic but no garlic odor, it really had no odor at all. I then noticed a distinct white mid-vein. The flower bud was there but not yet open could only tell that the plant had a white flower. A few minutes on the web and I had identified Star-of-Bethlehem. Not an common weed in a corn/soybean rotation that is in fact an escaped horticultural plant found in northern US and Canada. As you can see from the field view picture, the plants can be very thick in the field and one can image planting difficulties plus the potential moisture loss. The bulbs range from very small up to about quarter size. When in flowering you can note the 6 petal, white flower. The plant primarily spread by the bulbs so field to field spread is from tillage. Research from Southern Illinois University showed the best 12 month control came from Gramoxone application in the spring. SIU Factsheet on Star-of-Bethlehem.
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