Orange Star usually refers to a bromeliad but the way this was described makes me think it was actually an Ornithogalum dubium which are apparently, as the OP surmised, pretty poisonous. Bromeliad generally aren't toxic, as far a I know, although some of them can have sharp edges and also contain Bromelaise, which is... used as a meat tenderize and not something you want to be coming in contact with a lot although I don't think it'll really hurt you. "Personally, I don't mess with bromeliads, because they need high humidity" While I have a really hard time with Guzmanias as well, the succulent and terrestrial bromeliads, as far as I know, don't really need high humidity to do well. I'm under the impression they'll need more supplemental watering but would otherwise be okay. Pineapples in particular seem to be pretty tolerant of drought and low humidity although you wouldn't want one around a toddler because they are incredibly sharp and also prone to having serrated edges (which, thanks to the bromelaise, feel really odd if you scratch yourself with them a lot). I also have a pair of tillies that are putting up with the 25-30% RH in my apartment although I thought they were on the higher end of needing humidity, so that's probably atypical. I think the other big problem with bromeliads is that they tend to die after flowering, and most of the ones you see in stores are A) Flowering. B) Devoid of offsets.

pikecoe Your respondants are bog purists. Your bog will not suck up water because what your are really talking about is a bog filter. A bog filter is the VERY BEST FILTER you can have. But the ONLY planting medium you can use is pea gravel and you plant your bog filter with all the regular rooting and floating pond plants. Just make sure you only plant into the pea gravel in the botto of your stock tank and don use any pots or containers. And don't use any fertilizer. Your fish will provided everything you need. Pump your pond water to your birdbath into the bog and back to the pond. Your bog/filter will work best if it is completley overgrown with whatever plants you decide to use. Cattails, bog lilies, yellow irises, Bog bean, watercress, papyrus, umbrella palm, pennywort. I know somebody will start hollering "you can't use that...it will take over...etc etc etc. That's what you want if you want it to look good an be effective. If there gets to be more of something than you want then you remove some and NO.....nothing is going to puncture you STOCK TANK.

How much space do you have? How tall a plant are you considering? Partial shade is a condition in which a very wide range of plants can thrive. I would siggest something that hummingbirds will like. Salvia microphylla - there are many varieties in various colors - is easy to grow, flowers most of the year, and is great for hummingbirds. Another choice is Cuphea "David Verity" - aka Cigar Plant. This can become a shrub if you don't have frost, or a perennial if you do, and blooms constantly unless frozen back. It is also a great plant for hummingbirds. Both of these are pretty easy to find in nurseries.

So glad to know what it is, especially since I've just now been able to discover it's not hardy and so far its been fully exposed to my cold winter garden and we e had some really cold nights. Uh oh, it's being moved against the house for more protection.