Hypericum aphyllum
Annual herb 0.4-0.65 m tall, erect, slender, with few short lateral branches. Stems green, 4-angled, the uppermost nodes ancipitous, with lines smooth; internodes 2 mm (lower)-12 mm (upper) long, exceeding leaves. Leaves sessile, appressed to outcurving, not tetrastichous, persistent; lamina 1-2.7 x 0.3-0.5 mm, triangular-subulate to linear-subulate, incurved, not cucullate, midrib not prominent, concolorous, not glaucous, scale-like; apex acicular, margin entire, base slightly expanded, not sheathing, free, basal vein 1, unbranched; laminar glands dense, punctiform, not prominent. Inflorescence c. 20-50-flowered, terminal, branching monochasial after first node, sometimes with one monochasial branch from node immediately below; all pedicels c. 1 mm long, flower appressed; bracts as leaves but smaller. Flowers c. 6-7 mm in diam., stellate. Sepals 1.5-2 x 0.3-0.5 mm, equal, not imbricate, narrowly triangular-subulate to linear- subulate, acute, margin entire; vein 1, unbranched, becoming prominent. Petals golden (?) yellow, tinged red outside, 2.5-3 x (?)0.5-1 mm, c. 1.5-1.7 x sepals, linear; apiculus and glands not seen. Stamens 5-6, c. 2-2.5 mm long, c. 0.8 x petals. Ovary c. 1 x 0.3 mm, fusiform; styles 3, 1 mm long, about equalling ovary; stigmas narrowly capitate. Capsule 3-5 x 1-3 mm, fusiform or very narrowly cylindric, acute, exceeding sepals; valves sometimes with 1-2 glandular vesicles. Seeds 0.3-0.4 mm long; testa very finely linear- scalariform (almost smooth).
Open Pinus woodland; lowland.
Belize (Toledo, Stann Creek).
Standley & Williams, Adams, Rodriguez Jimenez, and Webb all compare H. aphyllum with H. gentianoides, which has similarly reduced leaves and elongate capsules. As Lundell had already pointed out, however, the seeds of H. aphyllum are fewer, shorter, and smoother than those of H. gentianoides. Despite these differences, and the completely different type of branching and habit (H. aphyllum is an unbranched annual herb, H. gentianoides a much-branched wiry 'annual shrublet'), Adams questioned the distinctness of these taxa, and the other authors reduced H. aphyllum to synonymy. In fact, H. aphyllum is related to H. pratense, specifically to the little-branched form with small leaves, a similarly elongate inflorescence, and small flowers that occurs in Honduras and Nicaragua. It is smaller in all its parts but clearly continues the morphological trends from the more typical form of H. pratense.