ASTRAN'TIA MA'JOR. 
GREATER BLACK MASTERWORT. 
Class. Order. 
PENTANDRIA. DIGYNIA. 
Natural Order. 
UMBELLIFEREiE. 
Native of 
Height 
Flowers in 
Duration. 
Cultivated 
Alps of Eur. 
18 inches. 
June, Sep. 
Perennial. 
in 1596. 
No. 212. 
Astrantia, from the Greek astron, a star; and 
anti os, against, or meeting, from its star-like in- 
volucrum, against which is its umbel of flowers. 
Major, greater. Master-wort is a name which was 
used by old English herbalists, as synonymous with 
the Latin name imperatoria, from the imperial vir- 
tues which the plant was believed to possess. 
From the accounts given of Astrantia, in almost 
every modern work, we may be supposed to have now 
treated our friends with a rather unworthy subject. 
One botanist gave an opinion, that the Astrantias 
possessed little beauty, and were seldom met with 
except in botanic gardens ; this sentiment was ban- 
died from writer to writer, evidently without ex- 
amination of their actual claims to notice. 
We beg to enter our protest against this calumny; 
and to call attention to the present plant, and also to 
another of the same genus, as our next subject. 
It must not be overlooked that they are umbelli- 
ferous ; each umbel bearing a mixture of fertile and 
sterile flowers. Though not gay, the Astrantia 
major has beauty, and furthermore, it asks but little 
care of the cultivator. 
Hort. Kew. 2, v. 2, 119. 
