Growing from a bulb, species have linear basal leaves and a slender stalk, up to 30 cm tall, bearing clusters of typically white star-shaped flowers, often striped with green.

The common name of the genus, star-of-Bethlehem, is based on its star-shaped flowers, after the Star of Bethlehem that appears in the biblical account of the birth of Jesus.

Sensu stricto, the genus is characterised by long linear to oblong-lanceolate (lance-shaped) leaves, sometimes with a white longitudinal band on the adaxial (upper) side, an inflorescence that is corymbose or pseudocorymbose, tepals that are white with a longitudinal green band only visible on the abaxial (lower) side, a capsule that is obovate or oblong, and truncate with six noticeable ribs in section and seeds that are globose with a prominently reticulate (net-like pattern) testa.

[6] The longitudinal band on the leaves is thought to be caused by an interruption of palisade tissue in the central portion of the leaf.

This sensu lato reduction of Speta's 14 genera[18] into one was not widely accepted, though they were polyphyletic, and had a number of problems.

)[5] Further analysis with wider sampling (70 compared to 40 taxa) and a third plastid region (matK) revealed the presence of three clades (A, B and C) within Ornithogaleae/Ornithogalum.

This study suggested reversing the sensu lato (lumping) approach of Manning et al., reverting to separate genera (splitting), thus resurrecting Galtonia.

The sensu stricto classification of Martinez-Azorin et al. (2011) reduces the number of species to 50 as originally proposed by Speta.

[21] Species formerly placed in Galtonia include:[22] The Latin genus name ornithogalum derives from Greek ὀρνιθόγαλον ornithogalon referring to ornithogalum umbellatum, itself deriving from ὄρνις ornis "bird" (GEN ὄρνιθος ornithos) and γάλα gala "milk".

[26] The possible (non-attested) alternative form in ancient Greek ὀρνιθογάλη ornithogalē seems to be the source of classical Latin ornithogale as used by Pliny the Elder.

[27][28] When the genus is broadly circumscribed, as for example by Plants of the World Online, species are widely distributed over several continents including Africa (other than the tropics), Madagascar, Europe, and temperate Asia (as far as Afghanistan).

Ornithogalum has been listed as one of the 38 plants used to prepare Bach flower remedies,[31] a kind of alternative medicine promoted for its effect on health.