Common name: Small St. John's Wort
Hypericum gramineum G.Forst. APNI* Synonyms: Hypericum gramineum var. ericifolium Domin APNI* Hypericum japonicum var. australe R.Keller APNI* Ascyrum involutum Labill. APNI*
Description: Erect herb 10–40 cm high.
Leaves ovate to lanceolate, 5–13 mm long; floral leaves stem-clasping.
Terminal cymes usually with 3 or more flowers, rarely flowers solitary and axillary; flowers 5–12 mm diam., yellow to orange; pedicels erect, 5–15 mm long. Sepals and petals 4–8 mm long, persistent. Stamens 20–50, mostly free, persistent.
Capsule 3-valved, to 7 mm long.
Flowering: spring to early summer.
Distribution and occurrence: widespread. Grows in well-drained soils of open forest and grassland.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT, ST, NWS, CWS, SWS, NWP, NFWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. Tas. W.A. S.A. N.T.
Variable taxon requiring investigation. Also, intermediate forms sometimes occur between H. gramineum and H. japonicum. Hypericum is sometimes placed in Clusiaceae.
Text by C. Miller (1990); updated June 2016 Taxon concept: Flora of NSW Vol. 1 (1990)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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