140 THE HYPERICUM FAMILY. 



and some are tall shrubs or even trees. The chief distinction of 

 the Order from those nearest allied to it, lies in the stamens, 

 either very numerous or arranged in 3 or 5 clusters or bundles. 



I. HYPERICUM. HYPERICUM. 



Herbs, usually perennial (in some exotic species shrubs), often 

 marked with glandular dots ; the leaves opposite^ and entire, and no 

 stipules; the flowers regular, usually yellow. Sepals 5. Petals 5, 

 hypogynous, usually oblique. Stamens indefinite, clustered or shortly 

 united at the base into 3 or 5 bundles. Capsule more or less com- 

 pletely divided into 3 or 5 cells by as many placentas projecting from 

 the sides to the axis, and usually opening in 3 or 5 valves. Seeds nu- 

 merous, small, without albumen. 



An extensive genus, particularly abundant in southern Europe, 

 western Asia, and North America, but represented also within the 

 tropics, as well as in the southern hemisphere, both in the new and the 

 old world. The glandular dots are of two kinds, the pellucid ones, 

 which can be easily seen by holding up the leaves against the light, and 

 the black ones, which are usually on the under side of the leaves round 

 the edge, or on the flowers themselves. 



Undershrubs, with large ovate leaves, few flowers, 

 broad, round sepals, and stamens in 5 bundles. 



Styles 5. Flowers very large 1. Large-flowered H. 



Styles 3. Petals not much longer than the calyx . 2. Tutsan H. 

 Herbs with numerous flowers, small or narrow sepals, 

 and stamens in 3 bundles or clusters. 

 Sepals quite entire, or with very few teeth, without 

 Hack dots. 

 Stems erect, above a foot high, bearing a corymb 

 of bright yellow flowers. 

 Stems cylindrical or slightly angled. 



Sepals pointed. Leaves with numerous 



pellucid dots 3. Common H. 



Sepals blunt. Leaves with few or no pellucid 



dots 4. Imperforate H. 



Stems distinctly four-sided. 



Sepals broad and blunt, or scarcely pointed . 4. Imperforate H. 

 Sepals narrow and very pointed. Petals 



pale yellow 5. Square- stalled H. 



Stems diffuse, not 6 inches long, and much 



branched. Flowers small, in leafy cymes . . 6. Trailing R. 

 Sepals fringed with black or red glandular teeth or 

 dots. 



