Hypericum sect. Myriandra
deciduous (base articulated) or persistent (base not articulated).
7–45 mm diam.;
sepals deciduous or persistent, (2–)4–5;
petals deciduous, (3–)4–5;
stamens usually persistent, sometimes deciduous, 30–650, in continuous ring or in 4–5 barely discernable fascicles, each of 1–2 stamens;
ovary 2–5-merous;
placentation incompletely axile to parietal;
styles ± appressed, bases distinct;
stigmas minute.
± carinate or not.
Hypericum sect. Myriandra
e North America; e Mexico; West Indies (Bahamas, Greater Antilles); Bermuda; Central America (Belize)
Species 29 (28 in the flora).
Hypericum limosum Grisebach is endemic to western Cuba.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Sepals enclosing capsule, (2–)4, unequal (outer pair larger) [subsect. Ascyrum] | → 2 |
1. Sepals not enclosing capsule, usually 5, if 3 or 4, usually subequal | → 6 |
2. Stamens 30–50; ovaries 2-merous | → 3 |
2. Stamens 70–100; ovaries 3(4)-merous | → 4 |
3. Leaf bases without glandlike auricles; inflorescences 1-flowered, pedicels mostly recurved to reflexed in fruit, bracteoles proximal. | H. suffruticosum |
3. Leaf bases with glandlike auricles; inflorescences 1–12-flowered, pedicels erect in fruit, bracteoles distal. | H. hypericoides |
4. Leaf bases cordate-amplexicaul; inflorescences terminal, branching (at apical node) pseudodichotomous | H. tetrapetalum |
4. Leaf bases usually cuneate to subrounded, rarely rounded to slightly subcordate-amplexicaul; inflorescences from 1–4 nodes, branching dichasial or pseudodichotomous | → 5 |
5. Leaves: bases without glandlike auricles, margins plane to subrecurved; inflorescences 1–3(–7)-flowered, branching dichasial; outer sepals: apices apiculate or obtuse to rounded | H. crux-andreae |
5. Leaves: bases with glandlike auricles, margins subrecurved to subincrassate; inflorescences 1-flowered, branching pseudodichotomous; outer sepals: apices acute to subacuminate | H. edisonianum |
6. Leaves: bases usually not articulated, if articulated (22. H. myrtifolium), subcordate-amplexicaul; stamens (all or some) usually persistent (deciduous in H. apocynifolium, H. myrtifolium, and H. dolabriforme) | → 7 |
6. Leaves: base articulated, not amplexicaul; stamens deciduous [subsect. Centrosperma] | → 16 |
7. Shrubs, decumbent, mat-forming, wiry; inflorescences 1(–5)-flowered [subsect. Pseudobrathydium]. | H. buckleyi |
7. Herbs, subshrubs, or shrubs, erect to ascending or decumbent, not mat-forming, not wiry; inflorescences (1–)3–70-flowered | → 8 |
8. Inflorescences widely branched; stamens 120–200 [subsect. Brathydium] | → 9 |
8. Inflorescences narrowly branched; stamens 30–95 [subsect. Suturosperma] | → 10 |
9. Shrubs, erect, unbranched or branched distally, bark corky; leaf blades oblong-ovate to triangular-lanceolate, (5–)7–20 mm wide, bases articulated, subcordate-amplexicaul. | H. myrtifolium |
9. Subshrubs, decumbent, ± branching, bark not corky (thin); leaf blades linear-elliptic or linear-oblong to linear, 3–5 mm wide, bases not articulated, narrowly cuneate to rounded. | H. dolabriforme |
10. Leaf blades (7–)10–25 mm wide; sepals deciduous or tardily deciduous; placentation incompletely axile | → 11 |
10. Leaf blades 1–10(–15) mm wide; sepals persistent; placentation parietal | → 12 |
11. Inflorescences terminal, (1–)3–5(–8)-flowered; sepals tardily deciduous, 1.5–2.3 mm wide; capsules 6–15 × 4.5–8 mm. | H. apocynifolium |
11. Inflorescences from 1–3 nodes, the terminal 7–45-flowered; sepals deciduous, 1–1.5 mm wide; capsules 3.5–7 × 3–5 mm. | H. nudiflorum |
12. Shrubs; leaf blades 1–3 mm wide; inflorescences 1–3-flowered; sepals (3–)4(–5). | H. microsepalum |
12. Herbs, subshrubs, or shrubs; leaf blades (1–)3–15 mm wide; inflorescences usually 7–70-flowered, if flowers 1–6, herbs; sepals usually 5 | → 13 |
13. Shrubs; capsules ovoid-cylindric to broadly ovoid. | H. cistifolium |
13. Herbs or subshrubs; capsules usually broadly ovoid to depressed-globose, if ovoid-ellipsoid to ellipsoid or globose, rhizomatous herbs | → 14 |
14. Herbs or subshrubs, not or rarely rhizomatous; capsules broadly ovoid to depressed-globose; seeds 2–2.7 mm. | H. sphaerocarpum |
14. Herbs, rhizomatous; capsules ellipsoid to ovoid-ellipsoid or globose; seeds 0.6–0.7 mm | → 15 |
15. Herbs, 2–8 dm, relatively stout; leaf blades narrowly oblong or linear to lanceolate or narrowly elliptic. | H. adpressum |
15. Herbs, 1–3(–5) dm, relatively slender; leaf blades elliptic or oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic. | H. ellipticum |
16. Leaf blades usually elliptic, lanceolate, linear, oblanceolate, or oblong, (1–)3–22 mm wide; sepals usually elliptic, linear, oblanceolate, oblong, obovate, ovate, or spatulate | → 17 |
17. Inflorescences usually 1–3(–7+)-flowered from apical node, sometimes with single flowers at 1(–2) proximal nodes | → 18 |
17. Inflorescences usually (1–)3–25-flowered from apical node, sometimes with triads, dichasia, or flowering branches from 1–4 proximal nodes | → 19 |
18. Shrubs (6–)10–30 dm; leaf blades 8–22 mm wide, margins plane or subrecurved; sepals 4–10 mm wide; ovaries 3-merous. | H. frondosum |
18. Shrubs (1.4–)2–6(–10) dm; leaf blades 3–7(–10) mm wide, margins subrecurved to revolute; sepals 1.5–5 mm wide; ovaries (3–)5(–6)-merous. | H. kalmianum |
19. Stem internodes 4- or 6-lined at first; inflorescences cylindric or broadly to narrowly elongate-cylindric with 1–5(–7)-flowered lateral dichasia proximally; internodes 4-lined at first and capsules 7–13 mm or internodes 6-lined at first and capsules 4.5–6 mm | → 20 |
19. Stem internodes 4-lined at first; inflorescences shortly and broadly pyramidal or broadly cylindric to globose-cylindric, or obpyramidal with (2–)5–15-flowered lateral dichasia proximally; capsules 5–7 mm | → 21 |
20. Leaf blades 30–70 mm, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic-oblanceolate; flowers 15–30 mm diam.; placentation incompletely axile; capsules 7–13 mm; seeds 1.5–2 mm. | H. prolificum |
20. Leaf blades 15–32(–37) mm, narrowly oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate to linear; flowers 9–14 mm diam.; placentation parietal; capsules 4.5–6 mm; seeds 0.7–0.8 mm. | H. galioides |
21. Sepals: basal veins 3–7; ovaries (3–)4–5-merous; capsules notably lobed. | H. lobocarpum |
21. Sepals: basal veins 1–3; ovaries 3–4(–5)-merous; capsules not or scarcely lobed. | H. densiflorum |
22. Shrubs, erect, 3–45 dm | → 24 |
23. Leaf blades 13–25 mm; sepals (3–)4.5–7 mm. | H. lloydii |
23. Leaf blades 4–11 mm; sepals 2–4 mm. | H. tenuifolium |
24. Capsules usually cylindric, rarely narrowly conic or ovoid-conic; bark smooth, not metallic-silvery | → 25 |
24. Capsules ± narrowly ovoid-conic or pyramidal-ovoid to ovoid or ellipsoid; bark smooth and metallic-silvery or corky to spongy | → 26 |
25. Leaves 9–26 mm; styles shorter than ovaries; capsules (4.5–)5–7 mm. | H. nitidum |
25. Leaves 6–12 mm; styles longer than ovaries; capsules 3.5–5 mm. | H. brachyphyllum |
26. Bark smooth and metallic-silvery, exfoliating in thin, curled plates; styles 5 mm; seeds 1–1.6 mm; young stems, leaves, and sepals glaucous. | H. lissophloeus |
26. Bark corky to spongy, exfoliating in thin, papery sheets or plates; styles 2.5–4 mm; seeds 0.4–0.8 mm; young stems, leaves, and sepals not glaucous | → 27 |
27. Stems: internodes 6-lined at first, soon 2-winged, then terete; bark smooth; terminal inflorescence (3–)7–32-flowered. | H. fasciculatum |
27. Stems: internodes 4-lined at first, soon 4-angled, then terete; bark striate; terminal inflorescence 1–3-flowered. | H. chapmanii |
