HYPERICACEAE 



ST. JOHN'S-WORT FAMILY 



ROUND-PODDED ST. JOHN'S-WORT 



Hypericum cistifolium Lam, 



The St. John's-wort family is of little economic impor- 

 tance, although the Mangosteen, a very highly prized Asi- 

 atic tropical fruit, belongs to it. About a dozen species of 

 St. John's-wort occur in 

 Illinois but some of them 

 are not common. They 

 may usually be recog- 

 nized by the opposite, 

 mostly sessile leaves, 

 dotted with blackish 

 spots that can readily 

 be seen by holding the 

 leaf up to the light; and 

 may be known also by 

 the greater proportion of 

 yellow flowers, though 

 some have flesh color or 

 purple blooms. 



The Round-podded St. 

 John's-wort grows 1-2 >^ 

 feet high and is simple or sparingly 

 branched. It is found on rocky banks from 

 southwestern Ohio to Iowa, Alabama, 

 Arkansas and Kansas. The stems are some- 

 what woody at the base and slightly 4-angled. 



The numerous yellow flowers are produced 

 in cymes from July to September. The 5 ovate 

 green sepals are narrow and usually shorter than the petals. 

 The numerous stamens are distinct and there is i pistil with 3 

 styles. The fruit is a capsule containing many seeds that are 

 roughly pitted and larger than in most species. 



The Shrubby St. John's-wort, Hypericum pro/ijicum L., grows 

 1-4 feet high and has 2-edged branches. The leaves are narrowly 

 oblong and narrowed at the base. Often there are tutts ot smaller 

 leaves in the axils of the larger. The yellow flowers are produced 

 abundantly from July to September. The stamens are very numerous 

 and the styles are 3. The oval capsule is about one-halt inch long. 

 This plant occurs from southern Ontario to Minnesota, south to 

 New Jersey, Georgia and westward. 



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