The grass lily is a perennial herbaceous plant. The parts of the plant above ground retract by summer. The bulb remains in the soil as a perennating organ.
In the late spring, flower stems rise from the foliage, each bearing around 10 to 20 star-shaped blooms that are about 2 cm across. The flowers consist of 6 white petals with a green central stripe on the underside. The tepals enclose the ovary and the stamens.
The bulb in particular is poisonous, which is why the grass lily is also known as gardener’s death.
The grass lily was ‘Plant of May 2022’ of the animal hospital of the Veterinary Medical University of Vienna.