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HYPERICINEA. (St. JOHN’S-WORT FAMILY.) 
‘Herbs or shrubs, with opposite entire dotted leaves, no stipules, 
regular yellow flowers, many or few stamens, persistent styles distinct 
or united, and a 1 to several-celled pod with numerous small seeds. 
1. Ascyrum. Sepals 4, very unequal, the 2 outer very broad and flat, the inner 
much smaller: petals 4. 
2. Hypericum. Sepals 5, similar: petals 5. 
1. ASCYRUM L. (Sr. PETER’S-woRT.) 
Low suffruticose leafy plants, with small black-dotted leaves, nearly 
solitary flowers, bibracteolate pedicels, 4 unequal sepals, numerous dis- 
tinct stamens, 2 to 4 styles distinct or united below, and an ovoid 
1-celled capsule. 
1. A. hypericoides L. Diffuse, branching above, 3 to 6 dm. high: leaves linear 
to linear-oblong, narrowed at base, 6 to 20 mm. long, conspicuously biglandular at 
base: pedicels bibracteolate close to the flower: inner sepals very small (or obsolete) 
and petaloid.—A species of the Gulf States and extending through Texas into Mexico. 
This is the 4. Crux-Andree of many southern authors. 
2. A. stans Michx. Erect, stouter, 3 to 6 dm. high: leaves oblong to oval, closely 
sessile and somewhat clasping, 2.5 to 5 cm. long: pedicels bibracteolate near the 
middle; inner sepals 6 to 12 mm. long, sometimes as long as the outer, seldom peta- 
loid.—A sandy ground species of the Atlantic and Gulf States, and extending to 
western Texas. The lower leaves sometimes become tapering at base and almost 
obovate. 
2. HYPERICUM Tourn. (ST. JOHN’S- WORT. ) 
Herbs or shrubs, with cymose yellow flowers, 5 somewhat equal 
sepals, stamens usually numerous and united at base into 3 or 5 clus- 
ters, and a 1 to 5-celled pod.—Several species of Hypericum belong to 
the Gulf States and extend into eastern Texas. The following have 
either been found within our range or are likely to occur there, and all 
have 3 distinct styles with capitate stigmas : 
* Styles long : pod 3-celled : petals much longer than the sepals: whole plant (including 
petals and anthers) more or less black-dotted. 
1. H. perforatum L. Much branched, 3 to 12 dm. high: leaves linear to oblong, 
obtuse, with pellucid dots, 12 to 25mm. long: flowers numerous in loose cymes, about 
9.5 om. in diameter : sepals linear-lanceolate, very acute or acuminate: petals bright 
yellow, black-dotted along the margin: pod conical-ovate, 4 to 6 mm. long.—A com- 
mon and pestiferous introduced weed, reported from Wilson County, and doubtless 
in many other places in Texas. 
2, H. formosum HBK., var. ScoULERI Coulter. From running rootstocks, simple 
or branching, 1 to 5 cm. high: leaves ovate-oblong, obtuse, more or less clasping, 
about 2.5 em. long (those of the branchlets much smaller), usually black-dotted along 
the margin of the under surface : flowers in loose cymes: sepals lanceolate to ovate, 
obtuse or acute: petals bright yellow often tinged with purple and with a few black 
dots along the margin: pod 3-lobed, 6 to8 mm. long.—Throughout all the western 
mountain systems, and merging into the species in Mexico, so that it must occur in 
the mountaius of western Texas, either as the variety or as the Mexican species H, 
formosum, whith may be known by its acuminate sepals, . 
