Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 205 



ST. JOHNSWORT FAMILY (Hypericaceae). 



A small family of shrubs and herbs, having oppo- 

 site, toothless, and generally stemless leaves, and reg- 

 ular, four or five-petalled flowers. 



COMMON ST. JOHNSWORT (Hypericum perfor- 

 atum) (EUROPEAN) is a wanderer from the old 

 world that, having reached our hospitable shores, pro- 

 ceeded to multiply and over-run the native plants so 

 that it is now regarded by farmers as a pest along 

 with the Wild Carrot and Mustard. If it is true that 

 in the struggle for existence, the fittest survive, then 

 surely this species must be one of the fittest; we 

 often see it growing lustily in circumstances under 

 which few plants could exist. It grows promiscuous- 

 ly in fields or along roadsides. Even a generous 

 sprinkling of tarvia, received when the roads were 

 sprinkled, failed to kill this plant, although many 

 other species died from the effects. 



It has a slender but tough stem from one to two 

 feet high; it has numerous short branches, each 

 crowded with tiny, stiff, oval leaves. The upper 

 branches terminate in clusters of 5-parted, golden- 

 yellow flowers with numerous, long, yellow stamens. 

 This species blooms from July until September. 



SPOTTED ST. JOHNSWORT (Hypericum puncta- 

 tum) is a similar species, with paler flowers having 

 fine black streaks on the petals, especially on the un- 

 der sides; the leaves are thickly dotted with black 

 and brown. It is found in moist places or thickets 

 from N S. to Minn, and southwards. 



SHRUBBY ST. JOHNSWORT (Hypericum proli- 

 ficum) is a very shrubby species, with stout branch- 

 ing stems. The deep green, linear-oblong leaves are 

 closely seated on the stem and at their bases are 

 other tiny leaves or leaflets. The flower clusters are 

 thick, flat and bright golden-yellow; the numerous 

 stamens are orange-yellow. Common from N. Y. to 

 Minn, and southwards. 



