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mountain St. John's wort

Carolina St. Johnswort

Habit Shrubs, decumbent, spreading and rooting, wiry, branches ascending to erect, forming compact mats, 0.5–4.5 dm. Shrubs, erect, forming dense thickets, 3–45 dm, bark smooth, not metallic-silvery.
Stems

internodes 4-lined.

internodes 4-lined at first, becoming 2-winged, then terete.

Leaf

blades oblong or elliptic to obovate, 4–25 × 2–12 mm, base not articulated, cuneate, margins plane, apex rounded, midrib with 2–4 pairs of branches.

blades linear or linear-subulate, 9–26 × 0.5–1.5 mm, base articulated, narrowly cuneate or parallel, margins revolute, apex rounded or acute to long-acuminate with prominent hydathode, midrib unbranched.

Inflorescences

1(–5)-flowered.

narrowly to broadly cylindric, 3–15-flowered, sometimes with 1–3(–7)-flowered dichasia from to 6 proximal nodes, sometimes with 1–2 pairs of additional flowering branches.

Flowers

20–25 mm diam.;

sepals persistent, not enclosing capsule, 5, broadly elliptic to elliptic-spatulate or obovate, subequal, 4–5 × 2.5–3 mm;

petals 5, golden yellow, oblanceolate, 6–10.5 mm;

stamens persistent, 100;

ovary 3-merous.

10–18 mm diam.;

sepals deciduous, not enclosing capsule, 5, linear-subulate, unequal to subequal, 3.5–7 × 0.4–0.8 mm;

petals 5, yellow, obovate to elliptic-lanceolate, (5–)6–10 mm;

stamens deciduous, 50–80(–115);

ovary 3-merous;

styles shorter than ovaries.

Capsules

ovoid to ovoid-cylindric, 8–12 × 5 mm.

narrowly conic to cylindric, (4.5–)5–7 × (1.3–)2–3 mm.

Seeds

narrowly to broadly carinate, 1.5–2 mm;

testa finely foveolate-reticulate.

scarcely carinate, 0.5 mm;

testa finely reticulate.

Hypericum buckleyi

Hypericum nitidum

Phenology Flowering early–mid summer (Jun–Jul).
Habitat Seepage areas, moist rock crevices, ditches, road embankments
Elevation 900–1600 m (3000–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
GA; NC; SC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; NC; SC; West Indies (Cuba); Central America (Belize)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Hypericum buckleyi is found throughout the southern Appalachian Mountains.

The decumbent habit and persistent sepals and stamens distinguish Hypericum buckleyi from its nearest relative, H. prolificum.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Subspecies 3 (2 in the flora).

The two subspecies of Hypericum nitidum present in North America apparently remain distinct there; the distinctions are less clear in Cuba, where subsp. cubense (Turczaninow) N. Robson is also present.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Plants to 45+ dm, with ± numerous, stout, bushy-branched stems from base; leaf blade margins loosely inrolled, apex obtuse to rounded-apiculate; sepal apices shortly apiculate to acute.
subsp. nitidum
1. Plants 3–10 dm, with ± few, slender, little-branched stems from base; leaf blade margins tightly inrolled, apex acute to long-acuminate; sepal apices acute to long-acuminate.
subsp. exile
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 81. FNA vol. 6, p. 79.
Parent taxa Hypericaceae > Hypericum > sect. Myriandra Hypericaceae > Hypericum > sect. Myriandra
Sibling taxa
H. adpressum, H. anagalloides, H. apocynifolium, H. ascyron, H. boreale, H. brachyphyllum, H. canadense, H. canariense, H. chapmanii, H. cistifolium, H. concinnum, H. crux-andreae, H. cumulicola, H. densiflorum, H. denticulatum, H. dolabriforme, H. drummondii, H. edisonianum, H. ellipticum, H. erythreae, H. fasciculatum, H. frondosum, H. galioides, H. gentianoides, H. graveolens, H. gymnanthum, H. harperi, H. hypericoides, H. kalmianum, H. lissophloeus, H. lloydii, H. lobocarpum, H. maculatum, H. majus, H. microsepalum, H. mutilum, H. myrtifolium, H. nitidum, H. nudiflorum, H. paucifolium, H. perforatum, H. prolificum, H. pseudomaculatum, H. punctatum, H. radfordiorum, H. scouleri, H. setosum, H. sphaerocarpum, H. suffruticosum, H. tenuifolium, H. tetrapetalum, H. virgatum, H. ×mitchellianum
H. adpressum, H. anagalloides, H. apocynifolium, H. ascyron, H. boreale, H. brachyphyllum, H. buckleyi, H. canadense, H. canariense, H. chapmanii, H. cistifolium, H. concinnum, H. crux-andreae, H. cumulicola, H. densiflorum, H. denticulatum, H. dolabriforme, H. drummondii, H. edisonianum, H. ellipticum, H. erythreae, H. fasciculatum, H. frondosum, H. galioides, H. gentianoides, H. graveolens, H. gymnanthum, H. harperi, H. hypericoides, H. kalmianum, H. lissophloeus, H. lloydii, H. lobocarpum, H. maculatum, H. majus, H. microsepalum, H. mutilum, H. myrtifolium, H. nudiflorum, H. paucifolium, H. perforatum, H. prolificum, H. pseudomaculatum, H. punctatum, H. radfordiorum, H. scouleri, H. setosum, H. sphaerocarpum, H. suffruticosum, H. tenuifolium, H. tetrapetalum, H. virgatum, H. ×mitchellianum
Subordinate taxa
H. nitidum subsp. exile, H. nitidum subsp. nitidum
Synonyms Myriandra nitida
Name authority M. A. Curtis: Amer. J. Sci. Arts 44: 80. (1843) Lamarck: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 4: 160. (1797)
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