Astrantia major

Large Astrantia ( Astrantia major)

The Great Astrantia ( Astrantia major ) is a species of the genus Astrantia and belongs to the carrot family ( Apiaceae ).

• 9.1 Notes and references

Origin of the name

The scientific genus name is derived from the Greek aster: Star and anthos: flower from. The epithet major: large refers to the plant height in comparison to the Little Astrantia ( Astrantia minor).

Next popular names are also star flower, Stränze, Moister, Riet cones and wood Naegeli.

Due to the similarity of their leaves and the forest - Sanikel ( Sanicula europaea) it is also called as Black Sanikel (after the black rootstock ).

Features

This perennial herbaceous plant with an erect, little branched stems reach heights of growth between 30 and 100 centimeters. The high bare stem is only slightly foliated. In the end, it branches and contributes one each umbel. A large cone surmounted usually the rest.

The five to seven-part leaves are coarsely toothed lobes. The two sides here are often grown together. The base sheets are 10 to 20 centimeters wide, and are thus slightly larger than the stem leaves.

The whitish flowers are very small and are numerous in a dense capitula -like, simple umbel. You still have a distinct calyx. Each umbel is surrounded by many coarse husks, can be colored to reddish greenish - white. At the base fused, they end pointed with easily recognizable cross nerves.

The fruit is a dichtgeschuppte Doppelachäne and up to 7 mm long.

Ecology

The Great Astrantia is a Hemikryptophyt and a stem plant.

The star-shaped bracts pretend a single large flower, which is uncharacteristic of Umbelliferae. The flowers are "basket flower " in analogy to the Compositae. Besides hermaphrodite flowers also occur purely male with long stems and stunted ovary and short-stemmed female flowers. The flowers are vormännlich; the male flowers to pollinate neighboring hermaphrodite flowers, we speak in this case of neighbor pollination. At nightfall, the umbel stalks bend down so that the pollen is protected from moisture. The insects visit is sparse. Bloom time is from June to August.

The fruits are formed as Doppelachänen schizocarps; they are wind spreader, probably it comes to random dispersal by grazing animals. Fruit ripening is from September to October. The seeds are cold to germinate.

Occurrence

In Europe, the distribution area of Spain over the Balkans extends to the Caucasus. The Astrantia is to be found in the Alps frequently and up to an altitude of 2,000 m.

As the site moist, calcareous clay soils, mountain meadows, mountain forests and tall herb communities are preferred.

System

In Austria, two varieties (formerly subspecies ) are distinguished:

• Carinthian wholesale Astrantia ( Astrantia major involucrata var ) - the shell is almost twice as long as the umbel; it is absent in Vienna, Burgenland and Lower Austria.
• Ordinary wholesale Astrantia ( Astrantia major var major) - the shell is usually as long as or only slightly longer than the umbel; it occurs in all provinces.

Trivial names

In the German-speaking region or the other following trivial names were used for this species, some only regionally, related: Astrentza, Astrenza, Black Astrenz, Astrenze ( Bern, Grisons ), burnet (St. Gallen Sargans ), Black Gärisch (Bern), Isächrut (St. Gallen in Obertoggenburg ), Emperor Wurz, Magistranz, Black Meisterwurz, Muterwurz, Ostranz (Silesia ), Ostrik (Silesia ), Ostritz (Silesia ), Sanikel ( Unterwalden ), Black Stränze (Uri), Talstern (Thuringia ) Black Ustranz and prosperity (Silesia ).

Use

Ornamental plant

Because of the pretty flowers, the plant is also used in horticulture.

Medicinal plant

The rhizome (Radix astrantiae ) and the herb ( Herba astrantiae ) is still used in folk medicine as a stomach tonic. The drug has a favorable effect on the deposition of gastric juices and thus stimulates the appetite and is taken in powder or infusion.

An overdose can cause poisoning symptoms.

The Great Astrantia in the literature

Albrecht von Haller, in his didactic poem The Alps Astrantia as follows: "There throwing a shiny blade, notched in fingers, on a bright brook the green reflection. The flowers of delicate snow, the matte purple colored, includes striped star in a white rays. "