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sparse-leaf St. Johnswort

Canary Island st john's wort, Canary Islands St. John's wort

Habit Herbs perennial, erect to ascending, branching at ± aerenchymatous base and in inflorescence, 3–12 dm. Shrubs erect, bushy, 10–50 dm.
Stems

internodes 4-lined.

internodes 4-lined at first, then terete.

Leaves

ascending to appressed, sessile;

blade usually lanceolate, rarely elliptic to ovate, 5–20(–24) × 5–15 mm, shorter than internodes, smaller distally, leathery, margins plane, apex acute, gland-dotted, less conspicuously adaxially, basal veins 1–5, midrib with 2–3 pairs of branches.

spreading, sessile;

blade narrowly elliptic to narrowly elliptic-oblong, 20–70 × 5–15 mm, (proximal usually narrower), base narrowly cuneate to subangustate, margins plane, apex acute to apiculate-obtuse, midrib with 8–12 pairs of branches, tertiary veins densely reticulate toward margins.

Inflorescences

corymbiform, to 30-flowered, branching mostly dichasial.

broadly rounded-pyramidal to broadly cylindric, to 30-flowered.

Flowers

5–13 mm diam.;

sepals lanceolate, unequal, 3.5–4.2(–4.8) mm, margins sometimes ciliate, not setulose-ciliate, apex acute to subacuminate;

petals orange-yellow, ± obovate, 5–10 mm;

stamens 50–80, filaments basally connate;

styles 2–4 mm;

stigmas clavate.

sepals lanceolate, unequal, 3–4.5 × 1–2.2 mm;

petals bright yellow, not red-tinged, oblanceolate-unguiculate, 12–17 mm;

anther gland yellow to orange;

styles widely spreading, 8–14 mm.

Capsules

ovoid, 3–4.5 mm.

pyramidal-ovoid to ovoid-ellipsoid, 9–12 × 7–8 mm.

Seeds

0.4–0.7 mm;

testa reticulate.

1.5–2 mm, narrowly winged;

testa linear-reticulate to linear-foveolate.

2n

= 40.

Hypericum erythreae

Hypericum canariense

Phenology Flowering mid summer–fall (Jul–Oct). Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Bogs, ditches, coastal plain Disturbed sites
Elevation 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) 20–500 m (100–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
GA; SC
from FNA
CA; Atlantic Islands (Canary Islands, Madeira) [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Hypericum canariense is established at Montecito and Santa Barbara in the hills (P. A. Munz 1974) and along the coast north of Santa Cruz to San Francisco, at locations in Orange and San Mateo counties, and in the San Diego coast region.

The description above agrees with that for Hypericum floribundum regarding sepals lanceolate and acute; in typical H. canariense they are oblong-spatulate and rounded. The variation is continuous; only one species is recognized here.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 90. FNA vol. 6, p. 96.
Parent taxa Hypericaceae > Hypericum > sect. Brathys Hypericaceae > Hypericum > sect. Webbia
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. dolabriforme, H. drummondii, H. edisonianum, H. ellipticum, 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. 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
Synonyms Brathys erythreae H. floribundum, Webbia canariensis, W. floribunda
Name authority (Spach) Steudel: Nomencl. Bot. ed. 2, 1: 787. (1840) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 784. (1753)
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