The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

sandhill St. Johnswort

coppery St. John's wort

Habit Shrubs, decumbent, straggling and rooting, forming low, rounded clumps or mats, 1–5 dm. Herbs perennial, erect, branching at usually aerenchymatous base and in inflorescence, 2–7 dm.
Stems

internodes (4-) or 6-lined at first, then terete.

internodes 4-lined.

Leaves

blades linear-subulate, 13–25 × 0.5–0.8 mm, base articulated, parallel, margins revolute, apex rounded to retuse, midrib unbranched.

(main stem) spreading to appressed, sessile;

blade usually broadly to narrowly ovate, rarely elliptic or lanceolate, 4–20 × 5–15(–18) mm, mostly shorter than internodes, leathery, margins plane, apex acute to subrounded, densely gland-dotted, basal veins 1–5, if 1, midrib with 2–3 pairs of branches.

Inflorescences

narrowly pyramidal, 1–3-flowered, with 1–3(–5)-flowered dichasia from to 5 proximal nodes, without additional flowering branches;

pedicels 0.5 mm.

broadly pyramidal to corymbiform, to 25-flowered, branching mostly dichasial.

Flowers

12–14 mm diam.;

sepals deciduous, not enclosing capsule, 5, linear-subulate, unequal, (3–)4.5–7 × 0.5–0.8 mm;

petals 5, golden yellow, oblanceolate-oblong, 5–7.5 mm;

stamens deciduous, 100;

ovary 3-merous.

5–13 mm diam.;

sepals ovate or lanceolate to elliptic or obovate, subequal, 3–8 × 1.5–4 mm, margins sometimes ciliate, not setulose-ciliate, apex acute;

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

stamens 50–80, irregularly grouped;

styles 2–4 mm;

stigmas clavate.

Capsules

ovoid, 3–4 × 2–2.5 mm.

ovoid to rostrate-subglobose, 3–5 × 2–3 mm.

Seeds

carinate, 0.7 mm;

testa not seen.

0.4–0.7 mm;

testa obscurely linear-reticulate to finely ribbed-scalariform.

Hypericum lloydii

Hypericum denticulatum

Phenology Flowering summer (Aug). Flowering summer–early fall (Jun–Sep).
Habitat Dry habitats (pine woods, granite outcrops, roadside embankments), inner coastal plain and foothills Wet woods, marshes, bogs
Elevation 100–300 m (300–1000 ft) 0–400 m (0–1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; GA; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; DE; GA; NC; NJ; NY; PA; SC; TN; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The habit, leaf shape, and drier habitats distinguish Hypericum lloydii from H. galioides.

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

D. H. Webb (1980) regarded the disjunct populations in North Carolina and Tennessee as possible relicts and the Alabama one as due to recent introduction. J. R. Allison (2011) agreed and, in his opinion, the Pennsylvania and Virginia records are historical, and Hypericum denticulatum is likely adventive in Georgia.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 79. FNA vol. 6, p. 89.
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. fasciculatum, H. frondosum, H. galioides, H. gentianoides, H. graveolens, H. gymnanthum, H. harperi, H. hypericoides, H. kalmianum, H. lissophloeus, 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. 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 H. galioides var. lloydii H. angulosum, H. denticulatum var. ovalifolium, H. laevigatum, H. virgatum var. ovalifolium
Name authority (Svenson) W. P. Adams: Contr. Gray Herb. 189: 32. (1962) Walter: Fl. Carol., 190. (1788)
Web links