''Astrantia major'', the great masterwort, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Apiaceae,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to central and eastern Europe. Growing up to tall by broad, it is an herbaceous

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

, much used in gardens.

Etymology

The Latin specific epithet ''major'', meaning "larger", distinguishes this species from its smaller relative ''

Astrantia minor ''Astrantia minor'', the lesser masterwort, is a species of herbaceous plant belonging to the family of Apiaceae. It is native within Europe, to the countries of France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. It is clump-forming herbaceous perennial. Des ...

''.

Description

''Astrantia major'' reaches on average of height. The stem is erect and glabrous, with little branches and few leaves. The basal leaves have a long petiole , 3 to 7 lobes and toothed segments. Size: . The cauline leaves are generally two, sessile, amplexicaul and lanceolate-shaped with a trilobed apex. The inflorescence is umbrella-shaped, with of diameter. The floral bracts are numerous (10 - 20), long, reddish (sometimes white) with acuminate apex. The small flowers are greenish-white with reddish shades. The central ones are hermaphrodite, while the external ones are male. The petals are five, white (or slightly reddened), while the stamens are five and much longer. Size of the flowers: about 1 mm. The flowering period extends from June through September.

Biochemistry

The plant also produces an essential oil that can be used in herbal medicines.

Reproduction

''Astrantia major'' is an

entomophilous Entomophily or insect pollination is a form of pollination whereby pollen of plants, especially but not only of flowering plants, is distributed by insects. Flowers pollinated by insects typically advertise themselves with bright colours, some ...

plant, mainly pollinated by beetles, but also by other insects. This perennial plant reproduces itself also by means of buds present at the ground level.

Distribution

This plant is native to southern Europe (the Pyrenees, Carpathians and Balkans), but also in the Caucasus up to Anatolia. It is found in the countries of Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, North Caucasus, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and Yugoslavia. It has been in the British Isles since the 16th century. It has also naturalized in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

near Stokesay Castle, and in

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

.Margery Fish It is common in mountain meadows and grasslands, in forests and clearings, and close to the streams, usually on

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...

soils, at an elevation of above sea level.

Subspecies

* ''Astrantia major'' subsp. ''carinthiaca'' : Larger umbels (4–5 cm in diameter) widespread mainly in the eastern Alps. * ''Astrantia major'' var. ''involucrata'' * ''Astrantia major'' subsp. ''elatior'' : bracts with 5 nerves and with notched apex; teeth of the calyx are very long; widespread in the Apennines. * ''Astrantia caucasica'' Auct. Fl.Ital non Sprengel * ''Astrantia major'' subsp. ''major'' * ''Astrantia major'' subsp. ''biebersteinii'' (with synonyms of ''Astrantia biebersteinii'' ,''Astrantia colchica'' , ''Astrantia intermedia'' , ''Astrantia neglecta'' , ''Astrantia orientalis'' , ''Astrantia ossica'' and ''Astrantia trifida'' ) Kew only accepts (in 2022); ''Astrantia major'' subsp. ''apenninica'' , ''Astrantia major'' subsp. ''carinthiaca'' , ''Astrantia major'' subsp. ''elatior'' , ''Astrantia major'' subsp. ''major'' and ''Astrantia major'' subsp. ''pyrenaica''

Cultivation

Many strains of ''Astrantia major'' grow well in the garden, given some shade and moisture. Their flowerheads provide summer colour in shades of red, pink and white. The following cultivars have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit:- * ''A. major'' 'Roma' * 'Sunningdale Variegated' Other cultivars include:- * 'Abbey Road' * 'Ruby Cloud' * 'Rubra' * 'Snow Star' * 'Lars' * 'Moulin Rouge' * 'Star of Heaven' * 'Rosea' * 'Princess Sturdza' * 'Venice' * 'Magnum Blush' * 'Star of Beauty' * 'Vanilla Gorilla' * 'Roma' * 'Hadspen Blood' (a hybrid crossed with ''

Astrantia maxima ''Astrantia maxima'', (largest masterwort), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. Growing to tall by broad, it is an herbaceous perennial, used in gardens. It is hardy to USDA Zone: 4-9. It has gained the Royal Horticultura ...

'') * 'Shaggy' (previously 'Margey Fish')

Gallery

File:Apiaceae - Astrantia major-2.JPG, File:Astrantia major ENBLA01.jpg, File:Astrantia major 'Star of Beauty' J1.jpg, ''A. major'' 'Star of Beauty' File:Apiaceae - Astrantia major-1.JPG, Leaf

References

External links

* Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia (3 voll.) - Edagricole – 1982 * Tutin, T.G. et al. - Flora Europaea, second edition - 1993 * Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C., 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore
Biolib

Astrantia major

Acta Plantarum

{{Taxonbar, from=Q158066 Apioideae Flora of Western Asia Flora of Europe Flora of the Pyrenees Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus