Trailing St John's-wort
Scientific name: Hypericum humifusum L.
Diagnostic features
Procumbent to ascending glabrous perennial with thin 2-lined stems to 20cm.
Leaves up to 15mm, obovate or ovate to oblanceolate or lanceolate.
Flowers 8-12mm across.
Petals less than 2x as long as sepals, bright yellow.
Black glands on leaves and rather sparse on sepals and petals, sessile and/or stalked.
Chromosome number: 2n=16.
Habitat
Native; open woods, hedgebanks and dry heathland mostly on acid soils.
Distribution
Frequent throughout most of British Isles but rare in North Scotland.
This species is keyed out on Page 3875 in the Text Key.
Hybrids
- Hypericum humifusum x Hypericum linariifolium is the probable parentage of intermediates (notably in petal length) that occur in Channel Islands with both parents. Possibly endemic. |
