2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Astrantia major (lat. Astrantia major) - a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus Astrantia (Lat. Astrantia) of the Umbelliferae family (Lat. Umbelliferae). It is a variety of beautifully flowering plants of the Umbrella or Celery family (lat. Apiaceae), native to the lands of central and eastern Europe. The plant is widely used to decorate gardens, growing up to ninety centimeters in height and up to half a meter in width, delighting gardeners with its decorative leaves and amazing umbrella inflorescences that look like celestial stars. Tireless breeders have developed varieties of plants with colorful, showy leaves and larger inflorescences.
What's in your name
The Latin name of the genus "Astrantia" is based on the word "Astra", which means "stars" in translation. The reason for this name was the spectacular inflorescences of plants of the genus, which caused an association with the heavenly stars among romantically-minded botanists.
The specific epithet "major" means "large", contrasting this species with another representative of the genus with the name "Astrantia small" (Latin Astrantia minor). As soon as this species is called: Zvezdovka is large, Astrantia is large …
In Sweden, this species is called "Linnes dottrar" ("Daughters of Linnaeus"), preserving the human memory of the great botanist Carl Linnaeus, who was born in Sweden.
Astrantia large is rich in varieties and subspecies.
Description
The average height of Astrantia is large, equal to sixty centimeters, depending on living conditions, deviating from it by twenty to thirty centimeters in both directions. The straight and bare stem branches slightly and harbors several leaves. The leaves of the plant are divided into basal and stem leaves. Basal leaves are located on long petioles, the length of which varies from ten to twenty centimeters, forming a basal rosette of leaves. The leaf plate of the basal leaves consists of three to seven lobes, which look like segments with a coquettish toothed edge. Stem leaves, as a rule, in the amount of two, do not have petioles, but sit directly on the stem. Their coarse-meshed leaf plate has a lanceolate shape with a triangular apex.
The umbrella inflorescence formed by petal stipules and small flowers is very picturesque. What many people mistake for flower petals are just bracts that form a bed for an inflorescence. They are numerous, reddish-purple, less often white, in color, from one to two centimeters long, with pointed tops.
Bloom lasts from June to September. Miniature flowers up to one millimeter in size have five greenish-white petals with reddish shades and five or more stamens. The flowers located in the center of the inflorescence are hermaphrodites (bisexual), and those located on the periphery are male. Pollination is carried out mainly by beetles and other insects.
Use in decorative floriculture
Astrantia large is widely used in decorative floriculture. For example, in Great Britain it has been known since the sixteenth century, having been naturalized in many places. Breeders have bred varieties in which green carved castings have become even more spectacular, acquiring a motley color.
For the continuation of plant life on the planet, seeds are responsible, as well as buds located on the stems at ground level.
Source of healing ingredients
Astrantia large is a source of essential oil, which is used by traditional healers in the manufacture of medicines. In addition, the plant contains an amino acid that plays an important role in a number of processes in the human body.
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