Hypericum caracasanum Willd.

Shrub or shrublet 0.5-1.8 m tall, erect, with branches strict, pseudo-dichotomous or lateral. Stems yellow-brown to orange-brown, 4-6-lined and compressed when young, the subfoliar ridges broad, soon or eventually terete, cortex exfoliating in strips; internodes 1-4 mm long. Leaves subsessile to broadly or narrowly petiolate with petiole up to 1.5 mm long, ± densely imbricate, tetrastichous, ascending to outcurving, deciduous above petiole without fading; lamina 5-14(-17) x 2-7 mm, ± narrowly elliptic or ovate-elliptic to oblong, plane to incurved or slightly cucullate, midrib slightly prominent to impressed beneath, margin plane to recurved or slightly incrassate, paler beneath or concolorous or with margin pinkish, not glaucous, coriaceous; apex acute to subacute, base angustate, the petioles not or scarcely sheathing but united to form narrow interfoliar ridge; basal vein 1, with 1-3(4) pairs of ascending lateral branches, not visibly branching, not impressed beneath, tertiary reticulation not visible; laminar glands dense, usually visible beneath. Inflorescence 1-flowered, with pseudo-dichotomous branches from node below; pedicel 2.5-5.5 mm long, not or scarcely incrassate upwards; upper leaves not transitional. Flowers 12-20 mm in diam., stellate. Sepals 5-l1 x 2-4.5 mm, broadly or narrowly elliptic or oblong-elliptic to obovate-spathulate or oblanceolate, acute to subacute; veins 3-7, sometimes branched distally, with midrib slightly prominent; glands linear, distally punctiform. Petals bright? to deep yellow, 8-13 x 3-5-6 mm, 1.4-2 x petals, oblanceolate; apiculus acute; glands mostly linear, distally interrupted to punctiform. Stamens c. 50-70, longest c. 4-7 mm long, c. 0-5 x petals. Ovary 2-3.5 x 2 mm, ovoid-ellipsoid; styles 3, 4-5 mm long, c. 1.5-2.5 x ovary, diverging and sometimes incurved; stigmas narrow or clavate. Capsule (5)6-8 x (2)3-4 mm, cyhndric-ellipsoid, equalling sepals. Seeds c. 1.2 mm long, ecarinate; testa finely scalariform.