Hypericum erectum Thunb.

Perennial herb (0.1)0.3–0.8(–1) m tall, erect or ascending from branching and rooting woody base, with stems solitary to few (2–3) or sometimes caespitose, unbranched below inflorescence or sometimes virgately branched above. Stems slightly 2-lined when young, soon terete, eglandular; internodes 14–55 mm, shorter to longer than leaves. Leaves sessile; lamina (12–)15–50(–60) × (5–)7–15(–30) mm, narrowly triangular-ovate to narrowly elliptic, paler beneath, chartaceous; apex acute or attenuate to rounded or slightly emarginate, margin plane or recurved, base cordate-amplexicaul; venation: 3–4(–5) pairs of main laterals from lower third to half of midrib, tertiary reticulation rather dense; laminar glands black, punctiform, ± dense, small, rarely also pale, small, punctiform to shortly striiform; intramarginal glands black, dense and rarely pale, minute. Inflorescence many-flowered, from 1–3 nodes, often with branches from up to 6 nodes below, the whole corymbiform to cylindric; pedicels 1.5–3 mm; bracts and bracteoles reduced foliar, entire. Flowers c. 15 mm in diam., substellate; buds narrowly ellipsoid, acute. Sepals 5, subequal to unequal, c. 3.5–7 × 1–3 mm, ovate-lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, obtuse (or rarely rounded) to acute, entire or rarely with irregular prominent glands; veins 5, outer often branching; laminar glands black or rarely also pale, linear to punctiform; intramarginal glands black, rather dense to sparse, or absent. Petals 5, bright yellow, not tinged red in bud, 6–10 × 2–2.5 mm, 2.5–3 × sepals, obovate to oblong, entire or with scattered prominent glands; laminar glands black, striiform to punctiform, distal; marginal glands black, intramarginal to prominent, irregular. Stamens c. 25–40, ‘3’-fascicled, longest 5–7 mm, c. 0.7 × petals; anther gland black. Ovary 2.5–3.5 × 1 mm, ovoid; styles 3, free, widely divergent, (3–)3.6–4(–4.5) mm, 1–1.2(–1.5) × ovary; stigmas narrowly capitate. Capsule 5–11 × 3.5–6 mm, 1.2–2.5 × sepals, narrowly to broadly ovoid. Seeds mid-brown, (0.67–)0.8–1 mm; testa scalariform.