128 



POPULAR FLORA. 



14. ST. JOHN'S-WORT FAMILY. Order HYPERICACE^.. 



Herbs or low shrubs, with the leaves all opposite and dotted, as if punctured, with trans- 

 parent or dark-colored dots, one or both ; the juice generally acrid. Flowers with 4 or 5 

 persistent sepals, as many petals, and more numerous, commonly a great number of sta- 

 mens, and in 3 or 5 clusters, borne on the receptacle. Styles 2 to 5, commonly separate, or 

 sometmies all united into one. Ovary only one, in fruit a pod, either one-celled with 2 to 



5 (commonly 3) parietal pla- 

 centas, or with as many cells 

 and the placentas in the inner 

 angle of each cell (Fig. 189, 

 190), when ripe splitting through 

 the partitions (Fig. 212). 



293 297 293 300 301 



297. Flowers. &c. of St John's- wort No. 4. 29S Pistil of 3 united. •-'99. Pod cut across. 300. Plan of the flower of Marsh St. 

 Jobn's-wort, in a cross secuon of tlie bud. 301. One of the clusters of lliree stamens. 



Sepals 5, all nearly alike in size and shape. 



Petals 5, flesh-colored, oblong, equal-sided, stamens about 9, in three sets, and a thick 



gland between each set, {Elodea) Marsh St. John's-wort. 



Petals 5, yellow, unequal-sided. Stamens generally many, {Hupericum) St. John's-wort. 



Sepals 4, in two pairs, one pair large, the other small; petals 4, {A'scyrum) St. Peter' s-wort. 



St. John's-wort. ffijperimm. 

 * Stamens very many, in 5 sets. Styles 5, rarely 6 or 7. 



1. Great St. John's-wort. Perennial herb, with stems branched, S° to 5° high; leaves closely 



sessile, oblong; petals 1' long, narrow. N. & W. H. pyramidatum. 



* * Stamens very many. Styles 3 or splitting into 3. Perennials or shrubs. 



2. Shrurby S. Shrub 1° to 4° high, very bushy; branchlets 2-edged; leaves lance-oblong; styles 



at first all united into one (Fig. 190), when old splitting into three. W. & S. K jjroUJicum. 



3. Naked-flowered S. Shrubbv at the base, 1° to 4° high; branches sharply 4-angled; leaves 



obloncr; cvme stalked and naked. S. & W. S. nudiflbi-nm. 



4. Common S. Herb 1° or 2° high, bushy-branched; stem somewhat 2-edged; leaves nan-ow-oblong, 



with transparent dots; sepals lance-shaped; petals bright yellow. A weed in pastures, &:c. 



H. perforatum. 



