Large star umbels

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Large star umbels
Large star umbel (Astrantia major)

Large star umbel ( Astrantia major )

Systematics
Euasterids II
Order : Umbelliferae (Apiales)
Family : Umbelliferae (Apiaceae)
Subfamily : Saniculoideae
Genre : Star umbel ( Astrantia )
Type : Large star umbels
Scientific name
Astrantia major
L.

The great star umbel ( Astrantia major ) is a species of the genus Sterndolde and belongs to the umbelliferae family (Apiaceae).

Origin of name

The scientific generic name Astrantia major (formerly also Sanicula astrantia ) is derived from the Greek aster: star and anthos: flower. The epithet major: large refers to the height in comparison to the small star umbel ( Astrantia minor ).

Other popular names are also star flower, large stretches, stränze, moister, reed umbels and wooden nails.

Due to the similarity of its leaves with the forest sanicle ( Sanicula europaea ) it is also known as the black sanicle (after the black rhizome).

description

Detailed view of the single flowers
Foliage leaf
Illustration of the large star umbel in Otto Wilhelm Thomé "Flora of Germany, Austria and Switzerland" (Gera 1885)
Astrantia major , infructescence and achenes
Carinthian large star umbel ( Astrantia major subsp. Involucrata )

The perennial herbaceous plant with an upright, sparsely branched stem reaches heights of between 30 and 100 centimeters. The tall bare stem is only slightly leafy. At the end it branches out and each carries an umbel. A large umbel usually towers above the others.

The five to seven-part leaves have roughly toothed lobes. The two sides are often fused together. The basal leaves are 10 to 20 centimeters wide and are therefore slightly larger than the stem leaves.

The whitish flowers are very small and are numerous in a dense, head-like, simple umbel . You still have a distinct cup. Each umbel is surrounded by many coarse bracts , which can be greenish-white to reddish in color. Overgrown at the base, they end pointedly with easily recognizable transverse nerves.

The densely scaled fruit is a double achene and is up to 7 millimeters long.

The species has chromosome number 2n = 14 or 28.

ecology

The great star umbel is a hemicryptophyte and stem plant.

The star-shaped bracts simulate a single large flower, which is atypical for umbellifers. The flowers are "cup flowers" in analogy to the daisy family. In addition to hermaphrodite flowers, there are also purely male flowers with long stems and stunted ovaries and short-stemmed female flowers. The flowers are pre-male ; the male flowers can pollinate neighboring hermaphrodite flowers, in this case one speaks of neighboring pollination. When it gets dark, the umbellate stalks curve down so that the pollen is protected from moisture. The insect visit is sparse. Flowering time is from June to August.

The fruits are split fruits formed as double achenes; they are wind spreaders, and it is likely that grazing animals also spread randomly. Fruit ripens from September to October. The seeds are cold germs.

Occurrence

In Europe the distribution area extends from Spain over the Balkans to the Caucasus . The star umbel is common in the Alps . It can be found up to a height of 2000  m , which z. B. reached on the Mutte at the Jöchelspitze in the Allgäu Alps in Tyrol.

Moist, chalky clay soils, mountain meadows, mountain forests and tall herbaceous areas are preferred as locations. The great star umbel occurs in societies of the Caricion ferrugineae and the Polygono-Trisetion, also in the Alno-Ulmion.

Systematics

According to Ralf Hand, the following subspecies can be distinguished:

  • Astrantia major subsp. apenninica Wörz (Syn .: Astrantia major var. apenninica (Wörz) Reduron ): It occurs in the Apennines in Italy.
  • Astrantia major subsp. biebersteinii (Trautv.) I. Grinţ. (Syn .: Astrantia biebersteinii Trautv. ): It occurs in Azerbaijan and in the Caucasus.
  • Astrantia major subsp. elatior (Friv.) K. Malý (Syn .: Astrantia elatior Friv. ): It occurs in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia.
  • Carinthian large star umbel ( Astrantia major subsp. Involucrata (WDJ Koch) Ces. , Syn .: Astrantia major var. Involucrata W.DJ Koch ; Astrantia major subsp. Carinthiaca (Hoppe) Arcang. ): The shell is almost twice as long as the umbel. It occurs in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Montenegro and Bulgaria. This subspecies is missing in Austria only in Vienna , Burgenland and Lower Austria . In the UK she is a neophyte. It thrives in societies of the associations Caricion ferrgineae, Polygono-Trisetion or Adenostylion.
  • Ordinary large star umbel ( Astrantia major subsp. Major ): The envelope is usually as long as or only a little longer than the umbel. It occurs in France, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Italy, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria and Romania. In the UK she is a neophyte. This subspecies occurs in Austria in all federal states.
  • Astrantia major subsp. Pyrenaica Wörz (Syn .: Astrantia major var. pyrenaica (Wörz) Reduron ): It occurs in the Pyrenees of Spain and France.

Common names

In German-speaking countries, the following other trivial names are or were used for this plant species, sometimes only regionally : Astrentza, Astrenza, Schwarz Astrenz, Astrenze ( Bern , Graubünden ), Bibernell ( St. Gallen near Sargans ), Black Gärisch (Bern) , Isächrut (St. Gallen near Obertoggenburg ), Kaiserwurz, Magistranz, Black Masterwort, Motherwort, 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 herb contains as ingredients determining the efficacy rosmarinic acid , flavonoids , flavonol glycosides and saponins (0.1 to 0.2 percent). In folk medicine , it is used for diseases of the respiratory tract, bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, and as a wound healing agent.

The root drug had a meaning as a mix-up and adulteration of masterwort ( Rhizoma Imperiatorae (albae) ).

The great star umbel in literature

In his didactic poem Die Alpen, Albrecht von Haller describes the star umbels as follows:

“There a shiny leaf, notched in fingers, casts
the green reflection on a bright brook.
The flowers of delicate snow, which colors
a dull purple, are enclosed by a striped star in white rays. "

literature

  • Xaver Finkenzeller, Jürke Grau: Alpine flowers. Recognize and determine (=  Steinbach's natural guide ). Mosaik, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-576-11482-3 .
  • Wolfgang Adler, Karl Oswald, Raimund Fischer: Excursion flora of Austria . Ed .: Manfred A. Fischer. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart / Vienna 1994, ISBN 3-8001-3461-6 .
  • Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany. A botanical-ecological excursion companion to the most important species . 6th, completely revised edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2005, ISBN 3-494-01397-7 .
  • Gunter Steinbach (Ed.), Bruno P. Kremer u. a .: wildflowers. Recognize & determine. Mosaik, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-576-11456-4 .
  • Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common Central European species in portrait . 7th, corrected and enlarged edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Astrantia major at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  2. a b c Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp. 698-699 .
  3. Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 2, IHW, Eching 2004, ISBN 3-930167-61-1 .
  4. a b c d e f g h i Ralf Hand (2011): Apiaceae. - In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Astrantia data sheet
  5. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, page 50 f., Online.
  6. ^ Astrantia major. Spectrum Academic Publishing House, Heidelberg 1999.
  7. ^ List, Hörhammer (ed.): Hager's handbook of pharmaceutical practice . Chemicals and Drugs Part A: NQ. Springer, 1977. ISBN 9783642650352 . P. 547

Web links

Commons : Astrantia major  - album with pictures, videos and audio files