Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Astrantia major

Other names

Astrantia, Mountain Sanicle

Family

Apiaceae

Flowering season

June to October

English distribution

It is thinly scattered throughout the country.

See the BSBI distribution map for Pink Masterwort

Habitat

It is a neophyte, which has been grown in UK gardens in

the mid 1590s.

The escape has been known in the wild since the early

1840s.

It has become naturalised on waste ground, woods, banks

and beside streams, roads and railways.

Description

Pink Masterwort is a perennial herb growing up to 80cm.

Flowerheads are up to 5cm, and have a slightly sickly

aroma.

There are pointed, pale, pink to whitish sepal-like bracts

which are bigger than the flowerhead (umbel).

Individual flowers are small. pink to pale greenish-white

and either male or hermaphrodite with male flowers

outnumbering the hermaphrodite, particularly towards

the end of the flowering season.

There are 5 stamens and 2 styles.

Leaves are up to 15cm and have between 3 and 7 coarse,

serrated lobes.