A woodland plant from Switzerland introduced before 1597. There are different thoughts on the origin of its name - some say it  comes from Aster because the tops of the plants radiate lika a star, while a certain Mr Ray was of the opinion that it was a corrupted word from Ostrotium which is a  corruption of Struthio which means ostrich. What connection the plant has with ostrich's is lost somewhere in the ethers. Makes a good cut flower.