Hypericum hypericoides
St. Andrew's-Cross
NATIVE
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Small linear leaves on chestnut-brown stems
Credit: Kristie Gianopulos. Used with permission.
FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Usually grows as a very small shrub, with fine, dark twigs. Small, narrow leaves are fairly distinctive.
Description: Upright, semi-evergreen to deciduous small woody shrub, to 1 m tall.
Leaves: Leaves are opposite, narrow, less than 2.5 cm long, tapered at the base.
Flowers/Fruit: Yellow flowers with four narrow petals, arranged like a capital X, born singly or in small groups on twig ends. Two prominent sepals below. Flat, oval brown seed capsules. Flowering and fruiting May to August.
Habit and Range: Common in forests throughout the eastern half of the Piedmont and all of the Coastal Plain; uncommon in the Mountains.
Typical Max Plant Height (m):
1
Leaf Arrangement:
Opposite
Leaf Division:
Simple
Leaf Margin:
Entire
Leaf Shape:
Oblanceolate
Inflorescence Color:
Yellow
Fruit Color:
Brown
Lifespan:
Perennial
Group:
Dicot
Family:
Hypericaceae / St. John's Wort
Ecoregions Found In:
Statewide
