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

sandhill St. Johnswort

sharpleaf St. Johnswort

Habit Shrubs, decumbent, straggling and rooting, forming low, rounded clumps or mats, 1–5 dm. Herbs perennial, erect, unbranched or branching at base and in inflorescence, 4–7.5(–10) 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) ascending to spreading, sessile;

blade lanceolate to oblong-elliptic or obovate, 10–30(–50) × 3–8(–12) mm, on main stem, longer than internodes, leathery, margins plane, apex usually acute to acuminate, rarely obtuse, basal veins 1–3+, midrib with 2–3 pairs of inconspicuous 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 cylindric to corymbiform, 25–70-flowered, branching mostly dichasial, subsidiary branches with or without relatively smaller leaves.

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.

8–13 mm diam.;

sepals narrowly ovate to lanceolate, equal, 3–3.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm, margins sometimes ciliate, not setulose-ciliate, apex acute to acuminate;

petals orange-yellow, obovate, 6–10 mm;

stamens 50–80, irregularly grouped;

styles 2–4 mm;

stigmas capitate.

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.

(0.5–)0.6–0.8(–0.9) mm;

testa reticulate.

2n

= 24.

Hypericum lloydii

Hypericum virgatum

Phenology Flowering summer (Aug). Flowering mid–late summer (Jun–Sep).
Habitat Dry habitats (pine woods, granite outcrops, roadside embankments), inner coastal plain and foothills Dry roadsides, fields, open woods
Elevation 100–300 m (300–1000 ft) 0–700 m (0–2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; GA; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MS; NC; OH; SC; TN; VA; WV
[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.)

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 79. FNA vol. 6, p. 90.
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. 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. ×mitchellianum
Synonyms H. galioides var. lloydii Brathys lanceolata, H. acutifolium, H. denticulatum subsp. acutifolium, H. denticulatum var. acutifolium, H. denticulatum var. recognitum, H. virgatum var. acutifolium
Name authority (Svenson) W. P. Adams: Contr. Gray Herb. 189: 32. (1962) Lamarck: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 4: 158. (1796)
Web links