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sandhill St. Johnswort

St. Andrew's cross

Habit Shrubs, decumbent, straggling and rooting, forming low, rounded clumps or mats, 1–5 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-) or 6-lined at first, then terete.

internodes 2-winged.

Leaf

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Capsules

ovoid, 3–4 × 2–2.5 mm.

narrowly compressed-ovoid to cylindric-ellipsoid, 5–9 × 2–4 mm.

Seeds

carinate, 0.7 mm;

testa not seen.

not carinate, 0.6–0.8 mm;

testa finely linear-reticulate to linear-foveolate.

Hypericum lloydii

Hypericum hypericoides

Phenology Flowering summer (Aug).
Habitat Dry habitats (pine woods, granite outcrops, roadside embankments), inner coastal plain and foothills
Elevation 100–300 m (300–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; GA; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
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)
[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.)

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.)

Key
1. Plants erect, usually unbranched from base and freely branched well above ground level; leaf blades usually narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblong, broadest near middle.
subsp. hypericoides
1. Plants decumbent to prostrate, branching from base; leaf blades usually oblanceolate, broadest beyond middle.
subsp. multicaule
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 79. FNA vol. 6, p. 87.
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. 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
H. hypericoides subsp. hypericoides, H. hypericoides subsp. multicaule
Synonyms H. galioides var. lloydii Ascyrum hypericoides
Name authority (Svenson) W. P. Adams: Contr. Gray Herb. 189: 32. (1962) (Linnaeus) Crantz: Inst. Rei Herb. 2: 520. (1766)
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