132 



POPULAR FLORA. 



t 'f 



i 



14. ST. JOHN'S-WORT FAMILY, o.dor IIYPEIJTCACE.E. 



Herbs or low shrubs, with the k-avt's all ojniosite aii'l (lolti-ii, as if punctured, with 

 transparent or dark- coloured dots, one or both ; the juice generally acrid. Flowers with 

 4 or 5 persistent sepals, as many petals, and more numerous, conuiionly a great number of 

 stamens, and in 3 or 5 clusters, bortie on the receptacle. Styles 2 to 5, commonly st-parate, 

 or sometimes all united into one. Ovnry only i, in fruit a pod, either i-celled with 2 



to 5 (commonly 3) parietal ])la- 

 centas, or with as numy cells ami 

 the placentas in the inner angb; 

 \ of each cell (Fig. 189, 190), 

 ^l^ wiicn lipe splitting through the 

 partition.s (Fig. 212). 





297. Fliiwprs, (So., of St. .Jolin's-wnrt No. 4. 2!)«. Pistil of .t unitrd. 29!). Poil cut ai;ross. 

 Jolm's-worl, ill ii cross-sett oil of the bud. 301. One of the clusters of Uiiee stanieus. 



3i)o. Plan of the flower of Marsli St 



Sepals 5, all nearly alike in size and shape. 



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



gland between each set, {Efoden) I\L\USH St. John's-WORT. 



Petals 5, yellow, unequal-sided. Stamen-s generally many, (H/zperinun) St. ,Tohn's-wort. 

 Sepals 4, in two pairs, one pair large, the other'small; petals 4, (Asviirum) St. Pkteb's-WORT. 



St. John's-wort. Ilypei'icum. 



* 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, ohlong ; petals 1' long, narrow. N. .and W. H. piiramidatum. 



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



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



at first all uinted into one (Fig. 190), when old splitting into three. ^V. and S. H. proUJiciini. 



3. Naked-Flowkukii S. Shrubby at the base, i" to 4° high ; branches sharply 4-.angled ; leaves 



oblong; cyme stalked and naked. S. and W. H. nudijforum. 



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



with transparent dots ; sei)als lance-shaped ; pet.als bright yellow. A weed in postures, &c. 



H. perforatum. 



^f 



,» 



