Other Names:  Orange Star Flower, Sun Star, Yellow Chinkerinchee

Description:

Numerous, bright orange star flowers from late winter to summer, clustered in upright racemes over strap-like, low basal leaves; flowers tend to open from bottom to top; a pretty accent plant for bright indoor areas near a window

Features & Attributes

Orange Star Of Bethlehem features showy racemes of orange star-shaped flowers rising above the foliage from mid spring to mid summer. Its narrow leaves remain dark green in color with showy lime green variegation throughout the year.

This is an herbaceous evergreen houseplant with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage. This plant should not require much pruning, except when necessary to keep it looking its best.

Planting & Growing

When grown indoors, Orange Star Of Bethlehem can be expected to grow to be only 6 inches tall at maturity extending to 12 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 6 inches. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. This houseplant will do well in a location that gets either direct or indirect sunlight, although it will usually require a more brightly-lit environment than what artificial indoor lighting alone can provide. It does best in average to evenly moist soil, but will not tolerate standing water. The surface of the soil shouldn't be allowed to dry out completely, and so you should expect to water this plant once and possibly even twice each week. Be aware that your particular watering schedule may vary depending on its location in the room, the pot size, plant size and other conditions; if in doubt, ask one of our experts in the store for advice. To help it achive its best flowering performance, you may periodically apply a flower-boosting fertilizer throughout the active blooming season. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soil. Contact the store for specific recommendations on pre-mixed potting soil for this plant. Be warned that parts of this plant are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so special care should be exercised if growing it around children and pets.

There are many factors that will affect the ultimate height, spread and overall performance of a plant when grown indoors; among them, the size of the pot it's growing in, the amount of light it receives, watering frequency, the pruning regimen and repotting schedule. Use the information described here as a guideline only; individual performance can and will vary. Please contact the store to speak with one of our experts if you are interested in further details concerning recommendations on pot size, watering, pruning, repotting, etc.

-- THIS IS A HOUSEPLANT AND IS NOT MEANT TO SURVIVE THE WINTER OUTDOORS IN OUR CLIMATE --