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Nomenclature
sect. Humifusoideum R. Keller
Nomenclature
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Genus: Hypericum
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Synonyms: 2
DIAGNOSTIC DESCRIPTION
Shrubs, subshrubs or wiry perennial herbs, erect to prostrate, up to 1.5 m tall, the shrubs evergreen, glabrous, usually with dark glands; branching pseudo-dichotomous and/or lateral. Stems 2-4(6)-lined and ancipitous when young, sometimes becoming 2-lined or terete, eglandular or rarely black-dotted; cortex green or usually wine-red; bark smooth, red-brown to grey-brown. Leaves opposite, decussate, sessile or very shortly petiolate, free, in shrubs eventually deciduous at base; lamina entire, with venation pinnate, open or closed, the tertiary reticulation absent or rudimentary or rarely rather conspicuous; laminar glands pale, linear to punctiform, prominent; submarginal glands absent; intramarginal glands pale and/or dark, dense to rarely sparse; ventral glands absent. Inflorescence 1-flowered with branches pseudo-dichotomous or rarely up to 10-flowered with branches dichasial/monochasial or mixed, from up to 2 nodes, rarely with flowering branches from up to 10 lower nodes; bracts and bracteoles foliar, rarely somewhat reduced. Flowers stellate or rarely obconic (Sp. 4), homostylous. Sepals 5, free, persistent, erect to somewhat spreading in fruit, with margin entire or rarely black (Spp. 6(i) p.p., 7a) irregularly glandular-ciliate; laminar glands pale, linear to punctiform; submarginal glands absent; inframarginal glands or marginal glands pale and/or dark (black or rarely reddish) or absent. Petals 5, persistent, spreading after flowering, with apiculus subterminal or obsolete or absent; margin entire; marginal glands absent or few or rarely forming a row (Spp. 6(i) p.p., 7), black (sometimes prominent) or rarely pale; laminar glands linear to punctiform, pale and/or black. Stamen fascicles 3-5, obscure, or stamens not obviously in fascicles, persistent, with stamens 13-80; filaments basally united or apparently free; anthers yellow, gland amber or black; pollen type X. Ovary with 3-5(6) parietal (intrusive) to axile placentae, each ∞-ovulate; styles free, bases contiguous stigmas narrowly or scarcely capitate. Capsule 3-5(6)-valved, subconaceous to chartaceous, with valves longitudinally vittate, rarely also diagonally vittate (Sp. 6) or almost smooth (Sp. 7b) or thin-walled, bacciform and indehiscent (Sp. 10). Seeds cylindric, not or scarcely carinate; testa linear-reticulate to linear-foveolate or scalariform or scalariform-reticulate.