HYPERICACEiE. 155 



with the latter except the long slender lateral branches of tlic 

 panicle and the red-tinged petals. 



The plant produces a number of barren shoots from the base of 

 the stem with smaller, rounder, and less distant leaves than those 

 of the flowering stem. 



The plate is drawn by Mr. Sowerby from a fine specimen kindlv 

 sent for the pi^rpose by Mr. Briggs, to whom I am also indebted 

 for living roots, by the cultivation of which a more complete know- 

 ledge of the plant may be obtained. 



TFaved-leaved St. John's IFort. 



SPECIES IX.— HYPERICUM HUMIPUSUM. Linn. 

 Plate CCLXXI. 

 Reich. la Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. VI. Hyp. Tab. CCCXLII. Fig. 5176. 



Eootstock woody. Stems numerous, slender, decumbent or 

 procumbent, but not rooting at the base, nearly simple, marked 

 with two elevated lines. Leaves oval or oblong, sessile, with or 

 without pellucid dots, and only the principal veins or nerves pellucid. 

 Flowers few, in terminal forked cymes, sometimes with a few branches 

 underneath so as to form a short panicle. Sepals very unequal; 

 three of them oval or broadly elliptical, obtuse ; two lanceolate, 

 sub-acute ; all entire or with a few gland-tipped ciliae towards the 

 apex, and commonly a few black dots on the disk. Petals not 

 twice as long as the sepals, with black dots on the margins. Styles 

 3, much shorter than the capsule. Capsule not twice as long as 

 the sepals, with each valve having numerous vittse on the back. 



In dry pastures and on commons and roadsides. Common and 

 geueraUy distributed, except in the extreme North of Scotland. 

 England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Late Summer. 



E-ootstock very short, woody, producing at the apex numerous 

 decumbent stems spreading in a circle and curving upwards at the 

 apex, 2 inches to 1 foot long. Leaves numerous, j to ^ inch long, 

 varying in breadth as in the other species of the genus, and with 

 black dots round the margins. Flowers 3 to 20 on each stem, 

 f to ^ inch across, bright yellow. Capsule about half as long again 

 as the sepals. Plant glabrous, light yellowish-green frequently 

 tinged with red. 



The small flowers and threadlike decumbent stems at onco 

 distinguish II. humifusum from all the preceding. 



Trailing St. John's TFort. 



French, MiUepertuis Couche. German, Xiedtrliegendes Earthen. 



