This is a genus of herbaceous plants, sometimes known as masterworts, or more correctly great masterwort, that come from central and eastern Europe and as far east as the Caucasus.The name reflects the starry appearance of the flowers, which have a tight umbel of small florets, surrounded by a ruff of papery bracts. Usually they come in pale shades, but there are some varieties that have deeper colours.

Astrantia bavarica is basically white, but with a lot of green on the bracts and pink on the flowers, so it is very attractive, and as with the rest of the genus, it retains its appearance for a long time. This species come from Bavaria, and is related to the more widely known Astrantia major.