Hypericum aciferum (Nomenclature)
Shrublet c. 0.05-0.06 m tall, much branched, prostrate to ascending, elongate, tortuous, distally ascending and bearing short erect to ascending clustered flowering shoots, forming mats over 600 mm in diam; wholly glabrous, without dark glands. Stems 2-lined at first, soon terete, densely glaucous, with internodes shorter than leaves. Leaves free, sessile, persistent until second season; lamina 5-12 x 0.6-1.4 mm, narrowly linear-spathulate, aciform, concolorous, densely glaucous, coriaceous, apex acute to subacute, margin plane or incurved or lamina subtriquetrous, base narrowly cuneate; venation: 1-nerved, with midrib subprominent beneath; laminar glands distally dense or all scattered. Inflorescence ( 1 )2-3-flowered, terminal and terminating short axillary shoots; bracts foliar, bracteoles linear-acicular, deciduous; peduncle c. 2 mm long, pedicels 1-2 mm long. Flowers c. 8 mm in diam.; buds narrowly ovoid, acute. Sepals green, 3-3.5 x 1 mm, imbricate, equal, narrowly oblong or narrowly oblong-lanceolate to linear, obtuse, plane to subincurved, suberect; veins 5, only midrib sometimes prominent, unbranched; laminar glands linear, submarginal glands rather sparse. Petals bright yellow, deciduous, c. 7.5 x 1.5 mm, c. 2.5 x sepals, oblanceolate, apically outcurved to form very short-lipped pseudo-tubular corolla, rounded, with basal ligulate appendage linear, acute. Stamens 9 (i.e. 3 fascicles of 3), with filaments in each fascicle almost completely united, the longest 3.5-4.5 mm (long-styled) or c. 1.5 mm (short-styled), persistent (? or tardily decicuous). Fasciclodes (lodicules) 0.3 mm long, truncate. Ovary 1.5 x 1 mm, ovoid, acute; styles c. 3 mm (long- styled) or scarcely 0.5 mm (short-styled), 2 x ovary (long-styled) or 0.33 x ovary (short-styled), suberect; ovules 2 on each placenta, one ascending, one pendent. Capsule c. 4 x 2 mm, narrowly ovoid, longer than sepals, with valves longitudinally vittate. Seeds not seen.
Among calcareous rocks; 5-40 m.
Crete (south-west); known from only two localities.
This most reduced member of sect. Adenotrias has a very restricted relict distribution. It is more prostrate than H. russeggeri (its nearest relative) and has narrower leaves, fewer flowers, petals that curve out only at the tip, and (probably) persistent stamen fascicles with fewer stamens per fascicle. Although it is apparently so rare, its habitat would seem to be similar to those of H. aegypticum and H. russeggeri (Turland, 1992: 351).
The Elodes acifera Greuter holotype is long-styled; Greuter 4669a (Herb. Greuter.) is short-styled.