Hypericum ternum A.St.-Hil.

Subshrub or herb, 0.2-0.7 m tall, erect, usually unbranched from the base, richly branched above, with branches strict, lateral, rarely in whorls of 3. Stems green to red-brown, persistently 4-lined, ancipitous when young, cortex exfoliating in strips; internodes 5-18 mm long, the upper exceeding leaves. Leaves sessile, heteromorphic, erect to appressed, eventually sometimes spreading, paired or very rarely 3-whorled on main stem; lamina 5-14 x l-6(-8) mm, ovate or ovate-triangular to lanceolate or linear, margin recurved or rarely to plane, subconcolorous, coriaceous; apex acute to subacute, base cordate to parallel-sided or subcuneate, free; basal veins 1(3), midrib branched with 1-2 laterals or unbranched, tertiary reticulum not visible; laminar glands dense to rather sparse, slightly prominent beneath. Inflorescence (l-)3-ll-flowered, dichasial (2-3 nodes) then monochasial, from 1(2) nodes, with short lateral branches from up to 10 nodes immediately below, the whole narrowly pyramidal to cylindric; pedicels 1-5.2 mm long; bracts and bracteoles ovate to linear. Flowers (6-)8-12 mm in diam., stellate; buds ovoid, subacute to acute. Sepals 3-6 x 1-2.5 mm, unequal, imbricate, outer ovate to lanceolate, inner lanceolate to narrowly oblong, acute to subacuminate; veins 3-7, 3 or more usually becoming prominent; glands linear, punctiform in distal ¼-½. Petals yellow to orange, (5-)6-8 x (2.5-)3-4 mm, 1.6-2 x sepals, oblong-obovate; apiculus acute; glands linear to punctiform. Stamens 30-63, not or obscurely 3(4)-fascicled[1], longest 3-4 mm long, c. 0.5 x petals. Ovary c. 1.5 x 1 mm, ovoid-subglobose; styles 3(4), 3-4 mm long, 2.2-3 x ovary, spreading; stigmas subcapitate to capitate. Capsule 5 x 2-3 mm, ovoid-subglobose, not rostrate, shorter than sepals. Seeds 0.8-0.9 mm long; testa very finely ribbed-scalariform (markings obscure).