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straggling St. John's-wort

Carolina St. Johnswort

Habit Subshrubs, decumbent and woody (not rooting) at base, branching at base or throughout, 1.5–5 dm, bark thin. Shrubs, erect, forming dense thickets, 3–45 dm, bark smooth, not metallic-silvery.
Stems

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

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

Leaf

blades linear-elliptic or linear-oblong to linear, 20–35 × 3–5 mm (main stem), base not articulated, narrowly cuneate to rounded, margins recurved to revolute, apex obtuse to acute, midrib unbranched.

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

obconic, (1–)3–20-flowered, ± widely branched, sometimes with single flowers at immediately proximal nodes.

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

15–20 mm diam.;

sepals persistent, not enclosing capsule, 5, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, ± foliaceous, unequal, 5–8(–15) × 2–3(–8)mm;

petals 5, yellow, curved-dolabriform, 10–13 mm;

stamens deciduous, 120–200;

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-conic, rostrate, 4–9 × 3–4 mm.

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

Seeds

carinate, 1.5–1.8 mm;

testa reticulate-scalariform.

scarcely carinate, 0.5 mm;

testa finely reticulate.

2n

= 18.

Hypericum dolabriforme

Hypericum nitidum

Phenology Flowering summer (Jun–Sep).
Habitat Limestone outcrops, cedar glades, dry, rocky stream beds
Elevation 0–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; GA; IN; KY; TN
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; NC; SC; West Indies (Cuba); Central America (Belize)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Hypericum dolabriforme is superficially similar to H. sphaerocarpum, to which W. P. Adams (1962) related it. Apart from the narrow leaves and unequal sepals, it is much nearer morphologically to H. myrtifolium (for example, in the wide-spreading inflorescence, numbers of stamens, and ovoid-conic capsules). Hypericum bissellii, described from a plant growing in Southington, Connecticut, is unlikely to be indigenous in that state.

(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. 84. 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. buckleyi, H. canadense, H. canariense, H. chapmanii, H. cistifolium, H. concinnum, H. crux-andreae, H. cumulicola, H. densiflorum, H. denticulatum, 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 Brathydium dolabriforme, H. bissellii, H. procumbens Myriandra nitida
Name authority Ventenat: Descr. Pl. Nouv., plate 45. (1801) Lamarck: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 4: 160. (1797)
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