Hypericum ellipticum |
Hypericum hypericoides |
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millepertuis elliptique, pale Saint John's wort, pale St. John's-wort |
St. Andrew's cross |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, erect, with creeping, rhizomatous, ± woody base, usually unbranched, sometimes branched proximally, relatively slender, 1.1–3(–5) dm. | Subshrubs or shrubs, erect or decumbent to prostrate, unbranched or branched, sometimes diffuse and mat-forming, 0.5–3 or 3–15 dm. | ||||
Stems | internodes 4-lined. |
internodes 2-winged. |
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Leaf | blades broadly to narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 11–35 × 3–13 mm, base not articulated, cuneate to shallowly cordate-amplexicaul, margins plane to subrevolute, apex rounded, midrib with 5–7 pairs of branches. |
blades oblanceolate or narrowly oblong or elliptic to linear, 7–25 × 1–8.5 mm, base not articulated, usually cuneate, sometimes rounded, with glandlike auricles, margins subrecurved, apex rounded to obtuse, midrib with 1–2 pairs of branches. |
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Inflorescences | corymbiform, (1–)3–15-flowered, narrowly branched, sometimes with branches from 1–2 proximal nodes. |
narrowly cylindric to pyramidal, 1–12-flowered from 1–4 nodes, sometimes with branches from to 10 proximal nodes, or branching more elaborate and pseudodichotomous; pedicels erect in fruit, bracteoles distal. |
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Flowers | 12–15 mm diam.; sepals persistent, not enclosing capsule, (4–)5, ± lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic, ± unequal, 6–7 × 2–3 mm; petals (4–)5, pale yellow, sometimes tinged red, obovate to oblanceolate, 6–8 mm; stamens persistent, 70–95; ovary 3-merous, placentation parietal. |
10–20 mm diam.; sepals persistent, enclosing capsule, 4, unequal, outer ovate-suborbiculate to narrowly elliptic, 5–12.5 × 2–13 mm, apex subapiculate to obtuse, inner lanceolate, 1–4 × 2 mm, apex acute; petals 4, bright to pale yellow, obovate to narrowly oblong-elliptic, 6–12 mm; stamens persistent, 40–50; ovary 2-merous. |
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Capsules | ellipsoid to globose, 4–7 × 3.5–5 mm. |
narrowly compressed-ovoid to cylindric-ellipsoid, 5–9 × 2–4 mm. |
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Seeds | carinate, 0.6–0.7 mm; testa scalariform-reticulate. |
not carinate, 0.6–0.8 mm; testa finely linear-reticulate to linear-foveolate. |
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2n | = 16, 18. |
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Hypericum ellipticum |
Hypericum hypericoides |
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Phenology | Flowering summer (Jun–Sep). | |||||
Habitat | Stream, lake, and pond margins, wet meadows, swamps | |||||
Elevation | 0–600 m (0–2000 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
CT; IL; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; TN; VT; WA; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC
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AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; Mexico; West Indies (Bahamas, Greater Antilles); Bermuda; Central America (Guatemala, Honduras)
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Discussion | Hypericum ellipticum is related to H. sphaerocarpum, differing by the shorter, herbaceous, rhizomatous habit, shorter leaves, and smaller seeds. A submerged aquatic form (forma submersum Fassett) and one with axillary branches developing after fertilization (forma foliosum Marie-Victorin) seem scarcely worth formal recognition. Hypericum ellipticum is introduced in Washington. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Subspecies 3 (2 in the flora). Hypericum hypericoides can be distinguished from H. crux-andreae by the two-merous ovary, narrower leaves, smaller flowers, and more richly-branched stems. It is variable in leaf and sepal shape and size; three subspecies can be recognized. The erect bushy form (subsp. hypericoides) is most widespread and has given rise to a northern diffuse form (subsp. multicaule) in the United States and a prostrate form (subsp. prostratum N. Robson) in Hispaniola. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 84. | FNA vol. 6, p. 87. | ||||
Parent taxa | ||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | Brathydium canadense, H. brathydium, H. canadense var. oviforme | Ascyrum hypericoides | ||||
Name authority | Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 110. (1831) | (Linnaeus) Crantz: Inst. Rei Herb. 2: 520. (1766) | ||||
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