Hypericum 
QUADRANGULUM. SQUARE- S T ALKED 
St. John’s Wort. 
HYPERICUM Lin. Gen. PI. Polyadelphia Polyandria; 
Cal. 5-partitus, Petala 5, Filamenta multa in 5 phalanges bafi cfcnnata. 
Capfula. 
Pali Syn . Gen. 24. Herb;e Pentapetalje Vasculifera:. 
HYPERICUM qua drangulum floribus trigynis, caule quadrato herbacea. tin. Sytl. Vegetal. i. cSa. 
Sp. PI; p. 1104. FI. Suec. n. 670; 
HYPERICUM Cable quadrangulari, foliis ovatis perforatis punflatis. OdUen Hjft. n. 1038. 
HYPERICUM quadrangulum. Scopoli FI. Carn. n. 943. 
PH PERICUM vulgare miniis caule quadrangulo foliis non perforatis. Bauh. pin. 272. 
HYPERICUM Afcyron diftum caule quadrangulo; Bauh. FUJI. 3. p. 382. 
ASCYRON Doi. tempt. Ger. emac. ' 542. vulgar, Parkmfon 575 . Pali Syrt. p. 344. St. Peter’s 
Woit; Hudjon. FI. Angi. ed. 2. p. 334. Lightfoot FI. Scot. p. 416. 
RADIX perennis, fubrepens, fibrofa. 
CAULIS pedalis ad fefquipedalem, eredhis* ramofus, 
glaber, rubefcens, quadratus, quatuor membra- 
nulis, feu alis in fecundum longitudinem nro- 
duftis. F 
FOLIA oppofita, feflilia, ovata, obtufa, lievia, faturate 
viridia, fubtus pallidiora* feptemnervia, per 
totam fuperficiem pun&is minutis diaphanis 
adiperfa, margine glandulis nigris fubtus prse- 
fertim pun&ata. 
RAMI cauli fimiles, decuffatim oppofiti. 
FLOaES lutei, parvi, in fummitatibus ramulorum \ 
denfe paniculati. 
RAMULI paniculas fanguinei. 
PEDUNCULI breviflimi. 
CAL\ X : Perianthium quinquepartitum, laciniis' 
lanceolatis, patentibus, nervofis, integerrimis, : 
nudis, jig. 1. 
COROLLA : Petala quinque, lutea, lineata, glan- 1 
dulis paucis nigris ad oras pun&ata. Jig. 2. : 
STAMINA: Filamenta plurima, in fafciculos vix; 
divifa ; Antheras fubrotundae, flava:, glan- • 
dul& nigra notata:. Jig. 3. 
PISTILLUM : Germen obovatum ; Styli tres, pa- • 
tentes, fubulati ; Stigmata minima*, capi- ■ 
tata. Jig. 4. ; 
PERICARPIUM : Capsula fufca, trilocularis, trival- - 
vis. Jig. 5. i 
SEMINA plurima, minima, oblonga, nitidiufcula. Jig. 6. : 
; ROOT perennial, fomewhat creeping and fibrous. 
• STALK from a foot to a foot and a half in height, up- 
right, branched, fmooth* reddifh, fquare from 
having four little membranes or wings which 
run down the ftalk. 
, LEAVES oppofite, feflile, ovate, obtufe, fmooth, of a 
deep green colour, paler underneath, ftrongly 
marked with feven ribs, the whole furface 
covered with fmall tranfparent dots, and the 
edge, efpecially on the under fide, dotted with 
black glands. 
BRANCHES like the (talk, alternately oppofite. 
FLOWERS of a yellow colour, fmall, growing on the 
tops of the branches in clofe panicles. 
BRANCHES of the panicle of a deep red or blood colour. 
FLOWER-STALKS very fhort. 
CALYX : a Perianthium deeply divided into five feg- 
ments, which are lanceolate, fpreading, rib’d, 
entire, and free from glands, fig. 1. 
COROLLA: five yellow Petals, finely grooved, dotted 
on the edge with a few fmall black glands, fig 2. 
STAMINA : Filaments numerous, fcarcely divided 
into bodies or bundles ; AntUerje roundifh, 
yellow, marked with a black gland, fig. 3. 
PISTILLUM: Germen inverfely ovate; Styles three, 
fpreading, tapering; Stigmata very fmall, 
forming little heads, fig. 4. 
SEED-VESSEL: a brown Capsule of three cavities 
and three valves, fig. 5. 
SEEDS numerous, very fmall, oblong, and fomewhat 
fhining. fig. 6. 
„„ v he Sa iu (at leaft of this country) are a genus of plants which, haying ftrong charafterifirc 
arks, and being fubjeft to little variation, give the Botanift no great trouble in their inveftigation ; it is fufficient 
to fay of this fpecies for mftance, that it has a fquare ftalk* and it is at once diftinguifhed from all the others. 
Caspar Bauhine commits no fmall error when he defcribes the leaves of the quadrangulum as imperforate, the 
leaft attention will fhew the tranfparent dots on the leaves to be fully as numerous, if not fo large as tbofe of the 
perforatum-, the antient Botanifts alfo abfurdly enough diftinguifhed this fpecies from the others by the name of 
AJcyron, or haint-Peter s-JVort, but as it has no pretenfions to any generic diftinaion, we have dropped that 
name, as tending much to confide : and while we are centring the faults of others, we fhall mention an error 
of our own ; in deferring the Hyp, n, urn perforatum we pointed out a little black gland vifible betwixt the lobes of 
the antheras, as charaaeriftic of that Ipecies, we now find the fame on the quadrangulum alfo. 
■ V",*, f P ec! " s r . 0ws plentifully by the fides of rivulets, alfo in wet meadows. By the fides of the ditches 
in BalterJea Meadows it is particularly common, and flowers in July. 
It is feldom ufed in medicine, the perforatum fupplying its place. 
