Hypericum aethiopicum Thunb.

Perennial herb sometimes woody at base, 0.1-0.45(-0.6) m tall, with stems arising from woody rootstock, erect or decumbent, unbranched, glabrous. Stem green to vinous red, sometimes ancipi- tous or 2-lined above, otherwise terete, eglandular or black-gland-dotted, internodes shorter than to exceeding leaves; cortex sometimes exfoliating in strips. Leaves sessile or rarely to 0.4 mm petiolate, 5-25 x 3-15 mm, broadly ovate or more rarely orbicular or elliptic-ovate to oblong, paler beneath, sometimes glaucous beneath or on both sides, plane, chartaceous to membranous, spreading or appressed; apex obtuse or rarely subacute to rounded, margin entire, often recurved, base cordate-amplexicaul to rounded; venation: 4 pairs of laterals curved-ascending from lower 0.4-0.7 of midrib, tertiary reticulation rather lax, often obscure; laminar glands pale or rarely 1-2 black, dense, unequal, sometimes prominent; intramarginal glands black, rather dense. Inflorescence 1-c. 25-flowered from up to 3 nodes, curved-corymbiform, lax or congested, occasionally with flowering branches from lower nodes; pedicels 2-4(-5) mm; bracteoles reduced, ovate to linear-lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, with dense marginal black glands sometimes prominent or on cilia. Flowers 15-25 mm in diam.; buds ellipsoid, acute. Sepals 4-8 x 1.5-2 mm, subequal, lanceolate or linear- lanceolate to oblong, acute to acuminate, entire to glandular-ciliate; veins 5, unbranched; laminar glands pale and/or black, striiform to punctiform; inframarginal or marginal or marginal glands black, sometimes on cilia, dense. Petals canary yellow, usually tinged red dorsally, (8-)10-13(-15) x 3-5 mm, 1-4 x sepals, elliptic to oblanceolate-spathulate, rounded to subtruncate with apiculus obsolete, subapical; laminar glands mostly black, elongate-punctiform with a few pale, striiform to punctiform; marginal to inframarginal glands black, rarely prominent, distally dense. Stamens c. 50-70, indistinctly 3(4)-fascicled, longest 7-10 mm, 0.7-0.8 x petals; anther gland amber. Ovary 3(4)-locular, 2-4 x 1.5-2 mm, ovoid; styles 3(4), 3-6.5 mm, (1.7-)2-3 x ovary, spreading-incurved. Capsule 6-7 x 3-4 mm, narrowly ovoid-pyramidal to ellipsoid, shorter than to slightly exceeding sepals, enclosed by petals twisting together. Seeds chestnut brown, c. 1 mm long; testa finely linear- foveolate.