Hypericum pulchrum
Encyclopedia
Hypericum pulchrum is a flowering plant in the genus
Hypericum
, commonly known as slender St John's wort. It is native to Western Europe.
perennial plant growing nine to eighteen inches high. It has erect smooth stems without ridges or wings. It has a few opposite pairs of untoothed, heart-shaped leaves that half clasp the stem. They are dotted with transparent spots and often have inrolled margins. The terminal inflorescence
has rich yellow flowers. Each of these has five small, broad, blunt sepals with black dots on the margins. The five petals are red beneath and have red and black dots on the margins. There are three styles and many stamen
s with orange anthers in three bundles. The fruit is a dehiscent
capsule.
where it has spread across South Island and the southern part of North Island.
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 slender St John's wort. It is native to Western Europe.
Description
H. pulchrum is a dainty, rhizomatousRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennial plant growing nine to eighteen inches high. It has erect smooth stems without ridges or wings. It has a few opposite pairs of untoothed, heart-shaped leaves that half clasp the stem. They are dotted with transparent spots and often have inrolled margins. The terminal inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
has rich yellow flowers. Each of these has five small, broad, blunt sepals with black dots on the margins. The five petals are red beneath and have red and black dots on the margins. There are three styles and many stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s with orange anthers in three bundles. The fruit is a dehiscent
Dehiscence (botany)
Dehiscence is the opening, at maturity, in a pre-defined way, of a plant structure, such as a fruit, anther, or sporangium, to release its contents. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part. Structures that open in this way are said to be dehiscent...
capsule.
Habitat
H. pulchrum is found in heathy places, dry moorlands, among rocks in upland regions and on road verges.Distribution
H. pulchrum is found growing in Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. It is found in suitable habitats throughout the United Kingdom. It has been introduced to New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
where it has spread across South Island and the southern part of North Island.