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Nomenclature
Hypericum cistifolium Lam.
Nomenclature
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Section: sect. MyriandraSubsection: subsect. Suturosperma
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Synonyms: 4
DIAGNOSTIC DESCRIPTION
Shrub (or subshrub), c. 0.5-1 .3 m tall, erect, unbranched or with leaf clusters or short branches from most nodes and sometimes 1-3 ascending branches from lower half of stem. Stems red-brown, 4- lined, the subfoliar lines more prominent or wing-like, becoming terete below; cortex exfoliating in strips; bark reddish brown. Leaves sessile, 15-40 x (2-)4-8(-10) mm, narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic-oblong to triangular-lanceolate, with margin recurved, densely glaucous beneath, thinly coriaceous, deciduous above base, apex subacute to rounded, base subcordate to cuneate; venation: one pair of ascending near-basal laterals and c. 4-5 pairs of obscure laterals, only midrib prominent the rest often invisible externally; laminar glands small, dense. Inflorescence (7-)15-c. 65-flowered, of regular dichasia, dense, without accessory flowers, sometimes with 3-c. 65-flowered dichasia from 1-2 nodes below and short flowering branches from a further 1-4 nodes, the whole corymbiform (often rounded) to cylindric; pedicels 1-3 mm long; bracts 2-10 mm long, subulate. Flowers 7-12 mm in diam., buds ellipsoid, acute. Sepals 5, 1-4 x 1-1.8 mm, unequal, persistent, obovate or broadly elliptic to oblong, rounded, margin plane, basal veins 3(-5?), unbranched. Petals 5, bright yellow, 5-8 x 2.5-3 mm, 2 x sepals, oblanceolate, with apiculus lateral, obtuse, short. Stamens c. 30-50, longest 3.5^.5 mm, 0.6-0.7 x petals, at least some persistent at least until fruit matures. Ovary 3-merous, 1.5-2.5 x 1-1.2 mm, narrowly ovoid-conic, obtuse, 3-lobed with valvular depressions, placentation parietal; styles 3, 1-2 mm, 0.7-0.8 x ovary, remaining appressed in fruit. Capsule 4-6 x 3-4 mm, ovoid-cylindric to ovoid-subglobose, obtuse to rounded, 3-lobed by depressions between carpel margins. Seeds mustard-yellow, 0.5 mm long, ecarinate; testa foveolate- reticulate to linear-foveolate.