Astelma
(from a, not, and stelma, a crown; in reference to the construction of the fruit). ORD. Compositae. Greenhouse evergreen shrubs from the Cape of Good Hope. Some species of this genus, which is now generally referred to Helipterum, are very handsome, and thrive well in a mixture of fibrous peat, leaf soil, and sand, with thorough drainage. Fill the pots one-third full of crocks; water carefully, and only when absolutely necessary; and place in a situation near the glass, allowing a free admission of air. Seeds should be sown in pots of light, open soil, and placed in a gentle heat; half-ripened cuttings will strike readily in sandy soil with a hand glass placed over them. They are now but rarely seen under cultivation.
A. canescens (hoary). fl.-heads purple; scales or involucre ovate; branches one-flowered. May to June. l. oblong, blunt, imbricated. h. 1 1/2ft. 1794. A. eximium (fine).* fl.-heads crimson; corymbs sessile. July. l. sessile, ovate, close, erect, white with thick woolly pubescence. Stem stout. h. 3ft. 1793. This is a very beautiful species.
A. speciosissimum (showiest). fl.-heads white, large, solitary, terminal. July. l. sessile, lanceolate-obovate, acute, three-nerved, woolly. h. 8ft. 1691.