128 



POPULAR FLORA. 



14. ST. JOHN'S-WORT FAMILY. Order IIYPERICACE.E. 



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

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

 pei'sistent 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 

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



5 (conunonly 3) parietal pla- 

 centas, or with as many cells 

 and the placentas in the inner 

 angle of each cell (Fig. 180, 

 190), when ripe splitting through 

 the partitions (Fig. 212). 



298 297 299 300 301 



297. Flowers. &c. of St Julin's-worl No. 4. 298 Pistil of 3 united. 299 Pi.tt cut across. 300. Plan of the flower of Marsh St. 

 Jolin's-wurl, ill a cross-seciion of the buil. 301. One of tile clusters of three slrtineiis. 



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, (Hypericum) St. John's-wort. 



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



St. Johii's-wort. Ili/pericum. 

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



1. Great St. John's-wort. Perennial herb, with stems branched, 3° to 5° high; leaves closely 



sessile, oblong; petals 1' long, narrow. N. & W. II. 2>yriimidaliun. 



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



2. Shrubby 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. R prolifcum. 



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



oblong; cyme stalked and naked. S. & W. IL nudiflbrum. 



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



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



//. jjciforatum. 



