Snow Star

Astrantia

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Roma'

Summary: 'Snow Star' has a larger leaf than 'Roma'. The petiole of 'Snow Star' is longer than in'Roma'. 'Snow Star' has greenish grey-white coloured flowers while in 'Roma' they are pale pinkish white.

Description:

'Snow Star' is a vegetatively propagated perennial astrantia variety with a mounded growth habit. The degree of branching is sparse. The stem is medium green in colour with no pubescence. The simple leaves are orbicular in shape and arranged in a rosette fashion. The leaf blade has an acute shaped apex with a sagittate shaped base, and a serrate margin. There is no variegation present on the medium green coloured leaf. There is a petiole. The peduncle has no anthocyanin present.

'Snow Star' flowers once, early to mid season for a medium to long length of time. The umbel type inflorescence is erect and terminal in position. The floral bracts are medium in number with medium length and narrow to medium width. 'Snow Star' has greenish grey-white coloured flowers.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Snow Star' was selected from a seedling population of a controlled cross by Aad Geerlings in Lisserbroek, The Netherlands in 1994. The pollen and seed parents were unnamed selections of Astrantia major. Selection criteria included floral and shape characteristics.

Tests & Trials: The trials were conducted in the summer of 2003, at Oxford Station, Ontario. There were ten plants of each grown in a field with plants spaced 0.4 metres apart within the row, and 1 metre between rows.

Comparison tables for 'Snow Star' with reference variety 'Roma'

Leaf blade length (cm)

Leaf blade width (cm)

Petiole length (cm)

Colour of florets (RHS)