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Hypericum (Old Greek name used)
(the old Greek name, used by Dioscorides). Including Androsaemum, Elodea (of Spach), Sarothra, and Tridia. ORD. Hypericineae. A genus comprising 160 species of greenhouse or hardy, evergreen or deciduous herbs, shrubs, or sub-shrubs, broadly dispersed over the whole world, but particularly abundant in Southern Europe, Western Asia, and North America. Flowers usually yellow, variously disposed, but rarely umbellate. Leaves opposite, sessile or sub-sessile, usually full of pellucid and black dots on their edges. All the species are of simple culture in almost any ordinary garden soil, but a sandy loam is generally preferable. A winter top-dressing for the more ornamental perennial sorts will be found of great advantage. Propagation may be quickly effected by seeds, by cuttings, or by strong pieces of the creeping-rooted species. Flowers yellow, and plants deciduous, except where otherwise stated. H. aegyptiacum (Egyptian). fl. small, few, almost sessile. June. l. glaucous, small, ovate, crowded, dotless. Stem round. h. 6in. to 18in. North Africa and Levant, 1787. Half-hardy evergreen. (B. M. 6481.) H. Androsaemum (Androsaemum). Sweet amber; common Tutsan. fl. large, terminal, stalked. Summer. l. sessile, ovate, sub-cordate, minutely dotted. h. 3ft. Europe (Britain). Sub-shrubby.
H. Ascyron (Ascyron). St. Peter's Wort. fl. very large, few. July. l. stem-clasping, lanceolate, acute, full of pellucid dots. Stem tetragonal, simple. h. 3ft. Siberia, 1774. Hardy perennial.
H. balearicum (Balearic).* fl. large, few. March to September. l. ovate, obtuse, rather stem-clasping. Stem quadrangular, warted. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Majorca, 1714. Greenhouse evergreen shrub. (B. M. 137.) H. calycinum (large-calyxed).* Aaron's Beard; Rose of Sharon. fl. large, terminal, solitary. Summer. l. ovate, coriaceous, broad, full of pellucid dots. Stem tetragonal, dwarf. h. 1ft. South-east Europe (naturalised in Britain). One of the handsomest shrubs; nearly evergreen. (B. M. 146.) H. Coris (Coris-leaved). fl. about 3/4in. across. May to September. l. in whorls, linear, with revolute margins. Stem shrubby, erect, round. h. 6in. to 24in. Levant, 1640. Half-hardy evergreen. (B. M. 6563.) H. elatum (tall). fl. corymbose; peduncles bibracteate. July. l. ovate-oblong, acute, dilated at the base, somewhat emarginate, with the margins rather revolute. Young stems reddish. h. 5ft. North America, 1762. Hardy shrub. (Sy. En. B. 265.) H. elegans (elegant).* fl. racemose. Summer. l. ovate-lanceolate, rather stem-clasping, bluntish, full of pellucid dots. Stem erect, winged, full of black dots. h. 1ft. Siberia, 1817. An elegant hardy perennial. H. elodes (marshy). fl. pale yellow, with green ribs, expanding in the sun only; panicle loose, few-flowered. Summer. l. roundish-ovate, blunt, shaggy, tomentose, full of pellucid dots. Stem villous, round, procumbent. West Europe (Britain), Azores. A very pretty herbaceous plant for boggy places. (Sy. En. B. 276.) H. empetrifolium (Empetrum-leaved).* fl., petals without glands. Summer. l. linear, tern, with revolute margins. Stem suffruticose, with slender, erect, four-angled branchlets. h. 6in. to 12in. South Europe, 1820. Half-hardy evergreen. (B. M. 6764.) H. hircinum (goat-scented). Goat-scented St. John's Wort. fl. large, few; peduncles bibracteate; styles very long. summer. l. somewhat emarginate at the base, dilated, sessile, ovate-lanceolate, with glandular margins. Branches winged. h. 2ft. to 4ft. Mediterranean region, 1640. Hardy shrub. (Sy. En. B. 266.) H. Hookerianum (Hooker's).* fl. few, large. Summer. l. elliptical-lanceolate, crowded, with the margins a little revolute, full of fine pellucid dots. Stem round shrubby. h. 2ft. Nepaul, 1523. Half-hardy evergreen. (B. M. 4949, under name of H. oblongifolium.) H. japonicum (Japanese). fl. solitary, loosely panicled, small; peduncles solitary or tern. Spring. l. broad-ovate or oval, mucronate, obtuse, with revolute edges, full of pellucid dots. Stem weak, tetragonal, smooth, decumbent. h. 1ft. Japan, 1823. Hardy perennial.
H. Kalmianum (Kalm's). fl. three to seven in a terminal corymb. June. l. linear-lanceolate. Branches tetragonal. h. 2ft. to 4ft. North America, 1759. Hardy shrub.
H. nummularium (Moneywort-leaved). fl. racemose. Summer. l. orbicular, stalked. Stem round, ascending. h. 3in. to 6in. Pyrenees, &c., 1823. Hardy perennial.
H. oblongifolium (oblong-leaved). A synonym of H. Hookerianum. H. olympicum (Olympian). fl. large, few; peduncles bibracteate. Summer. l. elliptical-lanceolate, rather acute, full of pellucid dots, glaucous. Stem round, shrubby. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Mount Olympus, 1706. Greenhouse evergreen. H. orientale (Eastern). fl. appearing in summer. l. stem-clasping, linear, obtuse, erect, fringed with glandular hairs. Stem shrubby, slender, with two angles, erect and jointed. h. 6in. to 12in. Levant. Half-hardy perennial. H. patulum (spreading).* fl. corymbose; peduncles bibracteate. Summer. l. ovate-lanceolate, acute, tapering to the base, with revolute margins, without dots. Stem round, purplish, herbaceous. h. 6ft. Japan. Hardy. (B. M. 5693.) H. perforatum (perforated).* Common Hypericum; St. John's Wort. fl. bright yellow, in a handsome terminal corymb; sepals lanceolate, pointed, quite entire, but with a few glandular lines or dots; petals marked with black dots. Summer and autumn. l. sessile, oblong, marked with pellucid dots and occasionally a few black ones on the under side. h. 1ft. to 3ft. Temperate regions of Northern hemisphere (Britain). Hardy perennial. (Sy. En. B. 268.) H.prolificum (prolific). fl. few, corymbose. Summer. l. linear-lanceolate, with revolute edges, full of pellucid dots. Stem round, shrubby; branches angular. h. 1ft. to 2ft. North America, 1758. Hardy. H. pyramidatum (pyramidal). fl. few, large; peduncles short, thick. Summer. l. stem-clasping, oblong-lanceolate, acute, with revolute margins. Stem winged, herbaceous. h. 4ft. North America. 1764. Hardy.
H. triflorum (three-flowered). fl. solitary; peduncles terminal, usually in threes. Summer. l. membranous, ovate-oblong, bluntish, full of pellucid dots. Stems terete, shrubby. Mountains of Java. Half-hardy. (Gn. xxiii. 158.) H. uralum (Urala). fl. terminal, somewhat corymbose. summer. l. elliptical, mucronulate, smooth, shining. Branches compressed, two-edged. h. 2ft. Nepaul. Hardy shrub. (B. M. 2375.)