Dear Kristin,

Thank you for reaching out to the UVM Extension Master Gardener Program with your question.

Based on your photo I agree that you are dealing with the Nodding Star of Bethlehem, Ornithogalum nutans. There is a smaller relative of this plant, Ornithogalum umbellatum, which is more common. Neither of these species are native to North America but they are sold in the United States as ornamental plants and have escaped from yards into surrounding landscapes. There is much more information available on O. umbellatum. O. nutans has been identified in many states (Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, NJ, NY, NC, Ohio, Oregon, Pa, Va, W Va) and is considered to be invasive in Maryland and Pennsylvania. I could not find any reports of O. nutans in Vermont. When this species is sold as an ornamental they list it as zone 6-10 but I saw other references to zone 5. As it is sold as an ornamental, has been identified in “natural” areas in surrounding states, and can tolerate zone 5, it is not surprising that we would eventually see this species in Vermont.

I am not sure what you meant when you said that the plant was toxic. I was not able to find any information on the plant being poisonous, but the fact that the plant is not listed on any of the lists of poisonous plants dose not mean that it cannot be poisonous. I think that the big concern is that it has the potential to be invasive and therefore should be removed. The plant has a bulbous root and spreads by bulbils(extensions of the bulb) and seeds. If there are only a few plants they are best removed by digging out the entire bulbous root. Ideally they should be removed before the seeds develop. Please see references below on how to dispose of material from potentially invasive plants. The Vermont invasives website has information on how to document a siting of an invasive plant.

Hope this helps.

https://extension.unh.edu/resource/methods-disposing-non-native-invasive-plants

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/127065-Ornithogalum-nutans

https://dec.vermont.gov/sites/dec/files/wmp/SolidWaste/Documents/Universal-Recycling/Compost%20Guide_invasives_Jun17.pdf

https://vtinvasives.org/gallery-of-terrestrial-plants