90 HYPERicACE^E. [Hypericum. 



Plant perfectly glabrous. Root brownish, wiry, usually much branched and 

 copiously beset with ramified capillary fibres at the top. Stems numerous, slen- 

 der, prostrate or a little ascending at their extremities, spreading in all directions, 

 from a few inches to a foot or (when depending from a wall or bank) even more 

 in length, somewhat rigid, mostly purplish and scarred below with the remains of 

 the leaves of an earlier season,' faintly 2-edged or nearly terete, more or less 

 copiously and irregularly branched, when old becoming somewhat woody and leaf- 

 less. Leaves very numerous, opposite, entire, suhsessile, ovato-oblong or elliptical- 

 oblong, very obtuse, slightly retuse at the summit and submucronate, with the 

 minute blunt and thickened extremity of the prominent midrib a little projecting 

 in the sinus, their margins more or less reflexed and even strongly revolute, and 

 haling immediately behind them underneath a row of black glandular dots ; pel- 

 lucidly veined and usually thickly punctate, but not reticulated. Flowers partly 

 in small, terminal, irregular, subcymose panicles that are more or less leafy, Iri- 

 chotomous, their secondary divisions mostly dichotomous and simple ; partly soli- 

 tary, or on short lateral shoots or branch-like peduncles, smiill. Sepals very une- 

 qual in breadth, 3 of them oblong-elliptical, obtuse, the 2 others elliptic-lanceolate, 

 somewhate acute ; all entire or subserrate, the serratures vvith or without black 

 globular glands, pellucidly 3 — 5 ribbed and striate, the midrib mostly projecting 

 into an obtuse keel, and ending either in a minute apiculus, or a thickened point 

 to the sepal. Petals bright yellow, not much longer than the calyx, obovate or 

 obovate-oblong, somewhat oblique, sulcate-striate and often streaked with red at 

 the back, entire and fringed with black. Stamens in 3 sets (or triadelphous), of 

 about 5 in each set, partly at least persistent ; anthers plain (without purple dots). 

 Stt/les 3, persistent, rather short and thick, divaricate ; stigmas mostly purplish. 

 Germen sulcale-striate, but not wrinkled, subtrilobate. Capsules longer than the 

 calyx, ovoid-conical, obtusely trigonous, 3-celled, tipped with the styles. Seeds 

 very numerous and minute, brownish or iron-gray, shortly cylindrical, rounded at 

 each end and subapiculate, reticulately punotato-striate, smaller than in any other 

 British species. 



*** Styles 3, Sepals with glandular serratures. Stems herbaceous. 

 f Stems erect. 



5. H. Imrsiitum, L. Ha'nji St. John's-tvort. " Sepals lanceo- 

 late acute with (black) glandular serratures, stem erect rounded 

 pubescent, leaves ovate or oblong slightly stalked somewhat downy 

 beneath."— Br. Fl. p. 80. E. B. t. 1150. 



In woods, thickets, and along shady hedgerows, especially on chalk or limestone, 

 in various parts of the island, i^^. July, August, i^r. September. 2^. 



E. J/erf.— Plentiful in the high wood in the park at Appuldurcombe. In Quarr 

 Copse. Woods about Ashey, common. 



W. Med. — New Barn Huiumit, Calbourue ; abundant. In all or most of the 

 hill-side copses about Buccombe, Eowborough, Gauson's and Galleberi-y downs. 

 Plentiful in woods and in the park at Swainston, Yarmouth, Thorley, &c. About 

 Carisbrook and the castle. Between Apes Hill and Swainston, in plenty, B.T.W. 



Root creeping. Stem 1 or more, erect, slightly branched, about 2 feet in height, 

 round, leafy, finely hairy, often stained with purple. Leaves opposite, ovate, 

 obtuse, nearly sessile, quite entire, strongly nerved, hairy, deep green above, pale 

 or whitish and downy beneath, sjirinkled with resinous dots. Each leaf supports 

 a short barren branch or a pair of small narrow leaflets at its origin. Panicle 

 large, tapering, its branches erect. Flowers numerous, golden-yellow, rather 

 small, with narrow petals. Sepals linear-lanceolate, glabrous, with distant, black, 

 glandular serratures, 3-ribbed, acute. Petals entire at the margin, with an occa- 

 sional gland or two near the top. Stamens in 3 sets ; anthers yellow, eglandu- 

 lose. Styles 3, long and spreading. Capsule longer than the calyx, rusty brown, 

 ovato-conical, many-ribbed and glabrous. Seeds numerous, pale rusty red, about 



