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Electronic Flora of South Australia genus Fact Sheet

Family: Hypericaceae
Hypericum

Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 783 (1753).

Derivation: Greek hyper, above; icon, image; plants hung above religious figures to ward off evil spirits.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: St Johns worts.

Description:
Glabrous annual or perennial herbs; leaves simple, entire, opposite, sessile to subsessile, exstipulate; translucent oil glands present on leaves, sepals and petals.

Inflorescence terminal, cymose; sepals 4 or 5, imbricate; petals 4 or 5, yellow to orange, glabrous; stamens free or united only at the base; ovary l-celled, with 3 parietal intruding placentas; styles 2 or 3, more or less divergent; stigmas capitate.

Fruit a 3-valved septicidal capsule; seeds 1 to numerous, curved, cylindric to ellipsoid, minute, with sculptured testa.

Distribution:  Cosmopolitan, about 400 species, only 2 native to Australia.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:
1. Stamens in a continuous narrow ring; black glands absent; stems 4-lined at least when young
 
2. Erect to decumbent herb; leaf blades erect towards the stem apex; sepals lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, acute to subacute; stamens 30-50
H. gramineum 1.
2. Weak decumbent to prostrate annual; leaf blades spreading; sepals narrowly oblong to elliptic or obovate, acute to rounded; stamens 5-30
H. japonicum 2.
1. Stamens in bundles; black glands marginal on petals and sometimes on leaves; stems 2-lined; stout erect perennial herb
H. perforatum 3.

Author: Not yet available


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