TAB. 8557. 
HYPERICUM Ascyron. 
North America and Eastern Asia. 
HiypericacEar. Tribe HypERIcEAE. 
Hypericum, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. i. p. 165. 
Hypericum Ascyron, Linn. Sp. Pl. vol. ii. p. 783; Masxim. in Mél. Biol. 
vol. xi. p. 162; Hemsl. in Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. vol. xxiii. p. 72; J. M. 
Coulter in A. Gray, Syn. Fl. N. Am. vol. i. pars 1, p. 284; floribus 
maximis, petalis obliquis, stylis 5, stigmatibus capitatis distinctum. 
Planta erecta, circiter 1 m. alta, superne ramosa. Caulis quadrangularis, 
circiter 6 mm. crassus, angulis leviter alatis ; ramuli stricti, ascendentes, 
superiores apice flores solitarios vel cymas trifloras gerentes. Folia sessilia, 
patula, semiamplexicaulia, ovato-oblonga, acuta, 8°5-5°5 cm. longa, 1- 
2°5 cm. lata, versus apicem leviter recurva, subcoriacea, glabra, nervis 
supra impressis subtus prominentibus. Pedunculi 1°5-3'5 cm. longi, 
superne bibracteati, rarius unibracteati. Sepala ovato-oblonga, 1*3-1°4 cm. 
longa, 7-9 mm. lata, acute apiculata, crispata. Petala leviter deflexa, 
oblique obovata, 4-5 cm. longa, 2°5-3 cm. lata. Stamvina numerosissima, 
inconspicue quinquephalangiata, 1:5-2°7 cm. longa; _antherae breviter 
oblongae, curvatae, versatiles, glandula apicali. Ovariwm ovoideum, 1°2 
em. longum, quinquesulcatum, inferne quinqueloculare, superne unilo- 
culare, placentis valde intrusis bifidis multiovulatis; styli 5, liberi, 1°2cm. 
longi, stigmatibus capitatis. Capsula ovoideo-conica, circiter 2 cm. longa. 
Semina teretia, raphe leviter alata.—H. pyramidatum, Ait. Hort. Kew. 
vol. iii. p. 108. H. ascyroides, Willd. Sp. Pl. vol. iii. p. 1448. H. macro- 
carpum, Michx Fl. Bor.—Am. vol. ii. p. 82.—T. A. SPRAGUE. 
The very striking St. John’s Wort here described has 
two widely separated areas of distribution. It occurs in 
north-eastern North America, where it is met with on. 
the banks of rivers from Quebec and New Jersey in the 
east to Manitoba and Kansas in the west. It occurs 
again in Central and Eastern Asia, where, according to 
Komarov, it extends from the Altai region to Kamschatka, 
Manchuria, Korea, China, Japan and Formosa. The plant 
figured, which was presented to the Kew collection by 
Mr. M. L. de Vilmorin, was raised from seeds obtained 
in Korea, and represents a rather distinct form with 
unusually large flowers, which is from a cultural stand- 
point superior to the ordinary plant in which the flowers 
are from two to two and a half inches across. At Kew //. 
Ascyron, in all its forms, is only partially woody. Itsends 
June, 1914. 
