Citation: F. Muell., Trans. Phil. Soc. Vic. 1:9 (1854).

Derivation: Greek aster, star; lasios, hairy; referring to the stellate tomentum on the leaves.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Small shrubs; branchlets more or less covered with a stellate or lepidote indumentum; leaves alternate, exstipulate, simple, petiolate or sessile, entire, flat or with recurved margins.

Inflorescence a terminal or axillary umbel-like cluster; bracts and bracteoles basal, herbaceous or sub-petaloid; flowers mostly bisexual, occasionally male only; sepals inconspicuous, free, stellate outside; petals 5, yellow or pink to white, free, more or less induplicate-valvate in bud, glabrous within, stellate and occasionally scaly-pubescent outside; stamens 10-25 or more, free, spreading, slightly shorter than the petals; filaments filiform, glabrous; anthers basifixed, apex retuse, locules dehiscing longitudinally on a lateral margin; disk absent; gynoecium 2-5-carpellate; carpels stellate-pubescent or stellate-scaly, contiguous along the adaxial margin in the lower half but separated above; ovules 2 per cell; style solitary, inserted near the middle of the adaxial margin of the carpels, straight, lengthening during anthesis, glabrous; stigma fleshy, subglobular or recurred.

Fruit of 1 or 2 basally connate cocci which dehisce explosively along apical and adaxial margins, undeveloped carpels if any persistent; exocarp coriaceous and prominently beaked; endocarp cartilaginous and responsible for seed expulsion, ejected with the seed; seeds usually 1 (rarely 2) per coccus; outer testa membranous, inner thick, crustaceous.

Distribution:  An Australian genus consisting of 11 described species, 5 endemic to southern W.Aust., 1 endemic in S.Aust. and 5 species in eastern Australia.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Leaf apex rounded; lamina oblong, muricate above, stellate-tomentose below	A. muricata 1.
1. Leaf apex retuse; lamina broadly cuneate, not muricate above, densely stellate-tomentose on both surfaces	A. phebalioides 2.

Author: Not yet available