Field ManualAll plants

Photo: Dominicus Johannes Bergsma, via Wikimedia CommonsLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0

Masterwort

Astrantia major

Pet & Human Safety

People: No hazard foundPets: Not on the ASPCA lists as we read them
Hazardous parts
Not yet checked.
Preparation
Not applicable; this is an ornamental plant.
Hazard type
Not yet checked.
Hazard route
none named by our sources
How complete this information is
The safety information on this page is partial. Where a source covers a point, it is shown; where none does, the page says so.
Toxic to pets
No ASPCA entry found.

Neither ASPCA nor NC State lists a pet-safety verdict for this plant. Not listed means no verdict was found, not that it's safe. Keep pets from eating it and call a vet or the ASPCA Poison Control line if a pet seems unwell.

PlotAndPetal cannot tell you whether a plant you found can be eaten. Only someone who can see the plant can identify it.

Poison control

If someone has collapsed, cannot be woken, is having a seizure or has trouble breathing, call 911 now. For any other possible poisoning, call Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.

Emergency number source: U.S. federal law (47 U.S.C. § 251(e)(3)), read 2026-10-07.

Naturalist Lore

Historical Background & Breeding Lore

The history of this plant and its name, and how it was bred, where we have them.

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Care

Hardiness zones

USDA zones 4a to 7b (Wisconsin Horticulture Extension); Arkansas Extension says hardy in zones 4 through 7 but likely to suffer where summer nights are hot

Light

Wisconsin Extension says it grows best in part shade, with a few hours of morning sun and dappled shade the rest of the day; in full shade it blooms less.

Water needs

high

Mature size

Mounded clumps up to 1.5 feet high (Wisconsin Extension). Arkansas Extension says 2 to 3 feet tall in flower and about half that in leaf.

Soil & Drainage
Pruning & Flush Rhythm
Feeding Schedule

How to prepare the soil, when and what to feed, and how and when to prune where that applies.

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Anatomy & Guilds

Botanical Anatomy & Characteristics

How the flowers and leaves are built and which pollinators visit, where we have them.

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Field Doctor

Field Doctor

What can go wrong with this plant and what to do about it, where we have them.

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Vintage Plates

Vintage Plates

Old botanical drawings from public libraries are in the app, for plants where we have them.

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Sources

  1. University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture: Astrantia, Astrantia major
  2. University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Plant of the Week: Masterwort
  3. Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) name file, dated 2026-06-04

How we choose sources

Wishlists live in the app

Wishlists are part of the Plot & Petal app, which is coming soon. Nothing is added to a wishlist from this page.

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