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peelbark St. Johnswort, sandweed

dwarf St. John's-wort, small Canadian St. John's-wort, small flower st john's wort

Habit Shrubs, erect, much-branched distally, bushy, not treelike, usually forming mounds, to 15(–30) dm, bark thick, smooth, thin-corky and spongy, exfoliating in thin, papery sheets or plates. Herbs annual or perennial, usually erect, sometimes decumbent and rooting, basal branches sometimes present, usually with to 10 pairs of spreading branches distal to middle, 0.5–8 dm.
Stems

internodes 6-lined at first, soon 2-winged, then terete, not glaucous.

internodes 4-angled.

Leaves

blades linear-subulate, 8–20 × 0.7–1 mm, not glaucous, base articulated, parallel, margins revolute, apex sometimes slightly broadened, midrib unbranched.

spreading, sessile or amplexicaul;

blade paler abaxially, ovate, elliptic, or elliptic-oblong (proximal), ovate or suborbiculate to elliptic or lanceolate (mid and distal), 3–27(–40) × 1–15 mm, papery to membranous, margins plane, apex obtuse to rounded, basal veins 3–5, midrib with to 3 pairs of branches.

Inflorescences

rounded-pyramidal to corymbiform, sometimes intercalary as result of resumed vegetative growth, (3–)7–32-flowered, sometimes with single flowers or 3–5-flowered dichasia from to 3 proximal nodes.

cylindric, 5–60-flowered, branching mostly dichasial;

bracts linear-subulate.

Flowers

13–16 mm diam.;

sepals deciduous, not enclosing capsule, 5, linear-subulate, unequal, (3–)4.5–8(–10) × 0.5 mm, not glaucous;

petals 5, bright yellow, obovate-spatulate, 6–9 mm;

stamens deciduous, 70–100;

ovary 3-merous;

styles 2.5–4 mm.

3–5 mm diam.;

sepals lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or elliptic-oblong to oblanceolate, equal or unequal, 2–4.5 × 0.6–1.5 mm, margins sometimes ciliate, not setulose-ciliate, apex usually acute to apiculate, sometimes obtuse to rounded;

petals pale yellow, oblong, 1.7–3.5 mm;

stamens 5–16, scarcely grouped;

styles 0.5 mm;

stigmas broadly capitate.

Capsules

± narrowly ovoid-conic to ovoid-ellipsoid, 5.5 × 2.5–3 mm.

narrowly ovoid to cylindric-ellipsoid, 2–5 × 1.6–2.4 mm, usually broadest at or near middle.

Seeds

not carinate, 0.4 mm;

testa finely foveolate-reticulate.

0.4–0.7 mm;

testa finely linear-scalariform.

2n

= 18.

Hypericum fasciculatum

Hypericum mutilum

Phenology Flowering spring–fall (Apr–Nov).
Habitat Ponds and lake margins, marshes, ditches, coastal plain
Elevation 0–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; BC; NB; NS; ON; QC; SK [Introduced in w North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The thick, often spongy, bark, relatively long axillary leaf clusters, paired leaf grooves flanking the midrib abaxially, broader inflorescence, and broader capsules distinguish Hypericum fasciculatum (and H. chapmanii) from H. nitidum and its relatives.

Hypericum aspalathoides Willdenow is an illegitimate name for H. fasciculatum.

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

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Stems: apical internode shorter than adjacent one or almost absent; inflorescences: branching mostly dichasial from 2–10 nodes.
subsp. mutilum
1. Stems: apical internode usually longer than adjacent one; inflorescences: branching from 1–4(–6) nodes, branches diffuse and repeatedly monochasial distally.
subsp. latisepalum
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 81. FNA vol. 6, p. 93.
Parent taxa Hypericaceae > Hypericum > sect. Myriandra Hypericaceae > Hypericum > sect. Brathys
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. erythreae, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
H. mutilum subsp. latisepalum, H. mutilum subsp. mutilum
Synonyms H. fasciculatum var. aspalathoides, H. fulgidum, H. galioides var. fasciculatum Sarothra mutila
Name authority Lamarck: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 4: 160. (1797) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 787. (1753)
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