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Atlantic St. Peter's-wort, St. Peter's wort

fourpetal St. Johnswort

Habit Shrubs, usually erect to suberect, rarely decumbent and rooting, usually unbranched, rarely sparsely branched distally, 1–13.5 dm. Herbs (perennial) or shrubs, erect, with woody base, usually unbranched, sometimes with divaricate or ascending branches, 2–10 dm.
Stems

internodes 2–4-lined at first, then 2-winged.

internodes (2–)4-lined at first, then 2-lined to terete.

Leaf

blades usually oblong to elliptic, rarely obovate to oblanceolate or triangular-ovate, 12–36 × 6–16 mm, base articulated, rounded to slightly cordate-amplexicaul, without glandlike auricles, margins plane to subrecurved, apex rounded to obtuse, midrib with to 3 pairs of branches.

blades oblong-ovate to ovate or triangular-ovate, 5–35 × 4–15 mm, base articulated, cordate-amplexicaul, margins subrecurved, apex apiculate or obtuse to rounded, midrib with 1 pair of branches.

Inflorescences

± narrowly cylindric to narrowly pyramidal, 1–3(–7)-flowered, branching dichasial, from to 4 proximal nodes.

terminal, 1(–3)-flowered, branching from apical node pseudodichotomous, sometimes with relatively short branches from to 3 proximal nodes.

Flowers

20–30 mm diam.;

sepals persistent, enclosing capsule, 4, unequal, outer broadly ovate to circular, 9–20 × 9–18 mm, apex apiculate or obtuse to rounded, inner narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, 7–14 × 2–4 mm, apex acute to subacute;

petals 4, bright yellow, obovate, 11–18 mm;

stamens persistent, 80–100;

ovary 3(–4)-merous.

20–30 mm diam.;

sepals persistent, enclosing capsule, 4, unequal, outer broadly ovate, 7–15 × 5.5–10 mm, apex subapiculate to obtuse, inner narrowly lanceolate, 7–15 × 2–3 mm, apex acute;

petals 4, bright yellow, obovate-oblong, 10–15 mm;

stamens persistent, 100;

ovary 3-merous.

Capsules

narrowly ellipsoid-ovoid, 7–10 × 5–6.5 mm.

broadly ellipsoid-ovoid to subglobose, 5–6 × 3.5–4 mm.

Seeds

not carinate, 0.8 mm;

testa shallowly scalariform.

not carinate, 0.7 mm;

testa shallowly scalariform.

2n

= 18.

= 18.

Hypericum crux-andreae

Hypericum tetrapetalum

Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering winter–spring (Jan–Apr), late summer (Jul–Sep).
Habitat Moist to dry, pine savannas and flatwoods, meadows, bogs, other wet habitats, lake and pond margins Moist, low pinelands, ditches
Elevation 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; KY; LA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; West Indies (w Cuba)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Hypericum crux-andreae, long known as Ascyrum stans, is a derivative of H. frondosum in which the tetramerous tendency in the perianth has become fixed. The low, multistemmed form with cuneate leaves, longer-

pedicellate flowers, and shorter sepals (A. cuneifolium, A. stans var. obovatum) cannot be separated from typical H. crux-andreae.

Linnaeus included “Hypericum ex terra mariana, floribus exiguis luteis” under his phrase name for Ascyrum crux-andreae; that element of the protologue refers to H. mutilum Linnaeus; see N. K. B. Robson (1980).

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

Hypericum tetrapetalum differs from H. crux-andreae in having broader leaves with strongly cordate-amplexicaul bases and, nearly always, by terminal pseudodichotomous inflorescences.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 85. FNA vol. 6, p. 86.
Parent taxa Hypericaceae > Hypericum Hypericaceae > Hypericum > sect. Myriandra
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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. virgatum, H. ×mitchellianum
Synonyms Ascyrum crux-andreae, A. cuneifolium, A. grandiflorum, A. simplex, A. stans var. obovatum, Hypericoides crux-andreae, H. stans Ascyrum amplexicaule, A. cubense, A. tetrapetalum
Name authority (Linnaeus) Crantz: Inst. Rei Herb. 2: 520. (1766) Lamarck: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 4: 153. (1797)
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