Plot & PetalField ManualAll plants
Summer hyacinth
Ornithogalum candicans (Baker) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt
Family: Asparagaceae
Pet & Human Safety
People: Hazard to peoplePets: Not on the ASPCA lists as we read them
ASPCA's page covers Galtonia spp. and so names this plant under its old genus. Any plant can upset a pet's stomach. ASPCA is the only source we found, and one source is not enough to call a plant safe for pets, so it is not assessed as safe. Keep pets from eating it.
PlotAndPetal cannot tell you whether a plant you found can be eaten. Only someone who can see the plant can identify it.
Poison control
If someone has collapsed, cannot be woken, is having a seizure or has trouble breathing, call 911 now. For any other possible poisoning, call Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.
Emergency number source: U.S. federal law (47 U.S.C. § 251(e)(3)), read 2026-10-07.
Naturalist Lore
Historical Background & Breeding Lore
The history of this plant and its name, and how it was bred, where we have them.
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- Hardiness zones
University of Arkansas Extension says it is well adapted to most of the eastern United States south of zone 6, if it has reasonably good winter drainage. NC State's Ornithogalum genus page lists USDA zones 4a to 10b for the genus as a whole (not this species alone).
- Water needs
moderate (moist in the growing season; good drainage in winter)
- Mature size
Flowering stems 2 to 4 feet long, leaves up to 3 feet long (University of Arkansas Extension); Clemson lists 40-inch stems.
How to prepare the soil, when and what to feed, and how and when to prune where that applies.
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Botanical Anatomy & Characteristics
How the flowers and leaves are built and which pollinators visit, where we have them.
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Field Doctor
What can go wrong with this plant and what to do about it, where we have them.
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Vintage Plates
Old botanical drawings from public libraries are in the app, for plants where we have them.
Get the app: coming soonSources
- University of Arkansas Extension, Plant of the Week: Ornithogalum (Galtonia) candicans
- Clemson HGIC factsheet 1156, Summer- and Fall-Flowering Bulbs
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, Ornithogalum (genus)
- ASPCA, Toxic and Non-toxic Plants: Summer Hyacinth (Galtonia spp.)
- Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) name file, dated 2026-06-04