64 THE FLORA OF THE ALPS 



The beautiful Touch-me-not, /. noli tangere^ L., is 

 frequent in damp rocky woods. In addition to the 

 handsome pitcher -shaped pale yellow flowers dotted 

 with red, it bears very small inconspicuous apetalous 

 flowers, with a cap-like calyx, which are self-fertilised, 

 and which produce fertile capsules in the autumn. 



Order XXH.— HYPERICACE.E. 



Flowers regular, usually in terminal cymes; sepals 

 and petals 5 each ; stamens very numerous, the fila- 

 ments united in their lower part into 3 or 5 bundles; 

 ovary of 3 or 5 carpels, with the same number of 

 styles; seed-vessel usually a capsule; leaves opposite, 

 often dotted. A moderate-sized order, belonging chiefly 

 to the temperate zone ; very few alpine species. 



I. Hypericum, L. 



Petals usually oblique, always yellow ; leaves sessile, 

 often dotted with glands. 



A. Stamens in three bundles; leaves in whorls of 

 3 or 4 : — H. Corisy L. ; petals glandular-ciliate, leaves 

 linear ; rocky slopes, rare ; Glarus, Tirol. 



B. Stamens in three bundles ; leaves opposite. To this 

 section belong nearly all the British species of St. John's 

 Wort, most of which are also found in Switzerland, 

 viz. : — H, perforatum^ L., with 2-ridged stem and very 

 glandular leaves ; very common. H. quadrangulum, L., 

 with square stem and bright yellow petals spotted with 

 black. H. tetrapteruifiy Fr., with square stem and pale 

 yellow petals, not spotted. H. pulchruniy L. (Northern 



