Hypericum hirsutum is a flowering plant in the genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 Hypericum

Hypericum

Hypericum is a genus of about 400 species of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae ....

commonly known as hairy St John's wort. It is found in Western Europe.

Description

Hypericum hirsutum is a downy perennial plant that grows to two or three feet. It has erect stems and opposite pairs of untoothed, elongated oval leaves with translucent glandular dots. The terminal inflorescences have many pale yellow flowers. Each has five pointed sepal

Sepal

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...

s with stalked black dots on the margins. The five petal

Petal

Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...

s also may have black dots and the many stamen

Stamen

The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...

s are in bundles. Hairy St John's wort is very similar to common St John's wort

St John's wort

St John's wort is the plant species Hypericum perforatum, and is also known as Tipton's Weed, Chase-devil, or Klamath weed....

(H. perforatum) but can be distinguished by the downy stems and the much longer leaves.

Habitat

H. hirsutum grows in poor grassland on well-drained clay, limy and chalky soils. It is often found at the edges of woodland, on river banks and roadside verges. It is found throughout Western Europe, and in the United Kingdom it flowers from July to August.