Astrantia

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Astrantia
Astrantia.jpg
Astrantia major
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Subfamily: Apioideae
Tribe: Saniculeae
Genus: Astrantia
L. [1]
Species

See text.

Synonyms [1]
  • EtoxoeRaf.
  • TranscaucasiaM.Hiroe

Astrantia is a genus of herbaceous plants in the family Apiaceae, native to Central, Eastern and Southern Europe and the Caucasus. There are several species, which have aromatic roots, palmate leaves, and decorative flowers. They are commonly known as great masterwort or masterwort which may also refer to other plants, particularly the unrelated Peucedanum ostruthium .

Contents

Etymology

Delicate flower (9027047529).jpg

The genus name derived from the Latin 'aster' meaning star and this refers to the open star-shaped floral bracts of the plant. [2]

Species

As of December 2022, Plants of the World Online accepted 10 species, [1] while GRIN Taxonomy listed only five species (marked "G" below). [3]

Common names

The astrantia has many common garden names including melancholy gentleman, masterwort and Hattie's pincushion. [4] [5]

Herbal usage

The stems and rhizomes of the Astrantia can be used for medicinal purposes. They provide an essential oil that can be used as a stomachic. The dried leaves of the plant can be used in herbal medicines as an infusion to help with digestion and help stimulate appetite. [6]

Cultivation

Many strains of Astrantia have been selected for their value in the garden, where they grow well if given reasonable soil, some shade and moisture. Their unusual pincushion flowerheads provide summer colour in shades of red, pink and white. A. maxima 'Largest masterwort' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [2] [7]

Rubra variety Masterwort, Northernhay Gardens, Exeter - geograph.org.uk - 949973.jpg
Rubra variety

A number of garden varieties have red flowers, e.g. A. carniolica 'Rubra'. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apiaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus Apium and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants, with more than 3,800 species in about 446 genera, including such well-known and economically important plants as ajwain, angelica, anise, asafoetida, caraway, carrot, celery, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, lovage, cow parsley, parsley, parsnip and sea holly, as well as silphium, a plant whose identity is unclear and which may be extinct.

<i>Primula</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae

Primula is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. They include the primrose, a familiar wildflower of banks and verges. Other common species are P. auricula (auricula), P. veris (cowslip), and P. elatior (oxlip). These species and many others are valued for their ornamental flowers. They have been extensively cultivated and hybridised. Primula are native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, south into tropical mountains in Ethiopia, Indonesia, and New Guinea, and in temperate southern South America. Almost half of the known species are from the Himalayas.

<i>Spiraea</i> Genus of plants

Spiraea, sometimes spelled spirea in common names, and commonly known as meadowsweets or steeplebushes, is a genus of about 80 to 100 species of shrubs in the family Rosaceae. They are native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest diversity in eastern Asia.

<i>Nymphaea</i> Genus of aquatic plants

Nymphaea is a genus of hardy and tender aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution. Many species are cultivated as ornamental plants, and many cultivars have been bred. Some taxa occur as introduced species where they are not native, and some are weeds. Plants of the genus are known commonly as water lilies, or waterlilies in the United Kingdom. The genus name is from the Greek νυμφαία, nymphaia and the Latin nymphaea, which mean "water lily" and were inspired by the nymphs of Greek and Latin mythology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cicely</span> Genus of flowering plants in the celery family Apiaceae

Myrrhis odorata, with common names cicely, sweet cicely, myrrh, garden myrrh, and sweet chervil, is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the celery family Apiaceae. It is the only species in the genus Myrrhis.

<i>Heuchera</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Saxifragaceae

Heuchera is a genus of largely evergreen perennial plants in the family Saxifragaceae, all native to North America. Common names include alumroot and coral bells.

<i>Sanicula epipactis</i> Species of flowering plant

Sanicula epipactis is a species of flowering plant of the family Apiaceae, native to Europe. Under the synonym Hacquetia epipactis, it was the only species in the monotypic genus Hacquetia.

<i>Plumeria rubra</i> Species of tree

Plumeria rubra is a deciduous plant species belonging to the genus Plumeria. Originally native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela, it has been widely cultivated in subtropical and tropical climates worldwide and is a popular garden and park plant, as well as being used in temples and cemeteries. It grows as a spreading tree to 7–8 m (23–26 ft) high and wide, and is flushed with fragrant flowers of shades of pink, white and yellow over the summer and autumn.

<i>Iris <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> germanica</i> Species of plant

Iris × germanica is the accepted name for a species of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae commonly known as the bearded iris or the German bearded iris. It is one of a group of hybrid origin. Varieties include I. × g. var. florentina.

<i>Astrantia minor</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Astrantia carniolica</i> Species of plant

Astrantia carniolica, the carnic masterwort or red masterwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It has long reddish flowers.

<i>Astrantia bavarica</i> Species of plant

Astrantia bavarica, common name masterwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to Eastern alps. Growing to 30 cm (12 in) tall by 30 cm (12 in) broad, it is an herbaceous perennial, much used in gardens.

<i>Astrantia maxima</i> Species of flowering plant

Astrantia maxima,, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae.

<i>Iris caucasica</i> Species of flowering plant

Iris caucasica is a species of plant in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Scorpiris. Pronounced as 'kaw-KAS-ee-kuh'.

<i>Iris orchioides</i> Species of orchid

Iris orchioides, the 'orchid iris,' is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Scorpiris. It is a bulbous perennial, from the mountains of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. It has dark green leaves, slender stems, up to three yellow flowers in spring. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

<i>Astrantia major</i> Species of flowering plant

Astrantia major, the great masterwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to central and eastern Europe. Growing up to 90 cm (35 in) tall by 45 cm (18 in) broad, it is an herbaceous perennial, much used in gardens.

Great masterwort is the common name of several flowering plants of the genus Astrantia, including:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masterwort</span> Index of plants with the same common name

Masterwort is a common name for several plants in the family Apiaceae and may refer to:

Iris falcifolia is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Hexapogon. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. It is a small plant, with sickle-shaped greyish-green leaves, lilac-violet flowers and darker veining, and a white or yellow beard. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in dry, temperate regions.

<i>Zosima</i> (plant) Species of flowering plant

Zosima is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Apiaceae.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Astrantia L." Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 Boris Lariushin Apiaceae Family: Volume 2 , p. 25, at Google Books
  3. "Species of Astrantia L." GRIN Taxonomy. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  4. Klein, Carol (15 May 2004). "How to grow: Astrantia 'Shaggy'". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  5. Margery Fish Garden Flowers&pg=PA46 1R2_CAAAQBAJ , p. 46, at Google Books
  6. Panda, H. Handbook on Medicinal Herbs with Uses , p. 163, at Google Books
  7. "Astrantia maxima". rhs.org.uk.
  8. "Astrantia carniolica 'Rubra'". rhs.org.uk. 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.


Sources