Hypericum perfoliatum L.

Perennial herb 0.15–0.8 m tall, erect to decumbent, not rooting, with stems few to several, all erect or outer ones decumbent or rarely all decumbent, unbranched below inflorescence or with branches at base or more rarely from every node between. Stems narrowly completely or incompletely 2-lined, sometimes with very few scattered reddish glands, not glaucous; internodes 10–52 mm, shorter than to exceeding leaves. Leaves sessile, usually amplexicaul, erect to usually spreading; lamina 8–50 × 3–30 mm, broadly ovate to triangular-lanceolate or more rarely linear, paler beneath, chartaceous; apex rounded to obtuse, margin entire or (uppermost leaves) black-glandular-ciliate, base cordate to narrowly cuneate; venation: 3(–4) pairs of main laterals from lower 1/4 to 1/3 of midrib, with dense obscure tertiary reticulation; laminar glands all pale or rarely some or mostly black, dense or very rarely sparse to almost absent; marginal glands black, dense to irregular, intramarginal and sometimes also (smaller leaves) sessile and on short cilia. Inflorescence 5–c. 70-flowered, from 1–3 nodes, sometimes with 1–2 flowering branches below, the whole densely subcorymbiform to broadly pyramidal; pedicels 1–6 mm; bracts reduced foliar and entire to linear or auriculate and black-glandular-ciliate; bracteoles linear, glandular as bracts. Flowers 10–25 m in diam., stellate; buds ellipsoid, rounded. Sepals 5, subequal or equal, almost free, 5–7 × 1.2–2 mm, narrowly lanceolate to oblong, acute to rounded, with dense marginal short to rather long glandular cilia, erect in fruit (cf. H. montbretii); veins 3–5, unbranched, not prominent; laminar glands black, punctiform to striiform, in 2 or occasionally 4 lateral rows, and a pale (very rarely black) punctiform central row; marginal glands black. Petals 5, golden yellow, not tinged red, 8–14 × 4–5 mm, oblanceolate, rounded; laminar glands pale, linear to striiform, and sometimes black, punctiform, distal and submarginal; marginal glands black, distal, sessile. Stamens 45–70, longest 9–11 mm, 0.75–0.8 × petals. Ovary c. 3 × 2 mm, ovoid; styles 6–7 mm, 2–2.3 × ovary. Capsule 7–8 × 4–6 mm, pyramidal- ovoid to ovoid; valves with glands pale, (i) marginal large and somewhat elongated vesicles, (ii) central smaller round vesicles and (iii) single interrupted vittae flanking midrib (cf. Fig. 19f). Seeds stramineus, c. 1.2 mm; testa ribbed.