Hypericum coadunatum (Nomenclature)
Subshrub or perennial herb with woody base, c. 0.75-2 m tall, erect to ascending from creeping and rooting base with woody taproot, the branches numerous, forming dense clumps, upper branches spreading-ascending, the whole plant except inflorescence sparsely to rather densely crisped-pubescent. Stems green to reddish, 2-lined and ancipitous in inflorescence, otherwise terete; internodes mostly shorter than leaves. Leaves sessile, lower pairs free, upper pairs connate; lamina 20-40(-48) x 15-30(-36) mm, broadly elliptic to ovate-suborbicular, concolorous (pale green), herbaceous, not glaucous, plane, spreading; apex rounded, margin plane, base cordate- to subcordate-amplexicaul (lower) or pairs united with rounded sinus between; venation: 3-4 pairs of laterals, curved-ascending from lower c. 0.2 of midrib; tertiary reticulation dense, with major areoles bullate above, impressed beneath; laminar glands pale, dense near margin but absent near centre, subequal, sometimes prominent; intramarginal glands black, locally dense but irregular to sparse or almost absent. Inflorescence c. 10-60-flowered from 1-2 nodes, densely curved-corymbiform, sometimes with flowering branches from up to 3(?4) nodes, the whole then laxly cylindric to obconic; pedicels 4-6 mm; bracts not auriculate; bracteoles linear-triangular, black-glandular-ciliate or with some marginal glands sessile. Flowers c. 15 mm in diam.; buds ellipsoid, obtuse. Sepals 3.5-5 x 1.1-1.8 mm, subequal, oblong to lanceolate or elliptic, acute, with margin gland-fringed; veins 5, branched and reticulating towards margin and distally; laminar glands pale, striiform to punctiform and sometimes a few black, subpunctiform; marginal glands black, prominent. Petals bright yellow, not tinged red, (6.5-)7-8.5 x c. 2-3.25 mm, c. 1.6-2 x sepals, narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblong, rounded, without apiculus; laminar glands pale, striiform to punctiform; marginal glands black, 1-c. 3, apical, or absent? Stamens c. 40, clearly 3-fascicled, longest c. 6-7 mm, 0.8- 0.85 x petals; anther gland amber. Ovary 2.3-2.7 x 1.5 mm, narrowly ovoid-ellipsoid; styles c. 4.5 mm, c. 1.6 x ovary, spreading-incurved. Capsule 4-6 x 3-4 mm, ovoid-subglobose, slightly exceeding sepals, enclosed by petals twisting together. Seeds yellow-brown, 0.6 mm long; testa finely scalariform.
2n= 18 (Ortega & Navarro, 1978).
Wet rocks in shade or full sun; 500-1500 m.
Canary Islands (Gran Canaria).
Since Maire (1924) wrote that he could find no difference between the Canarian H. coadunatum and the North African H. naudinianum Coss. & Durieu, except possibly in the distribution of gland-dots, most authors have united these species under the earlier name, H. coadunatum, A detailed comparison, however, has revealed several apparently constant differences betwen them. Thus, H. coadunatum is more woody in habit with relatively broader bullate leaves, the lower ones being apparently always free (not all pairs connate, as in H. naudinianum). It therefore seems desirable to treat them as separate species. They do, however, have the same chromosome number (2n=18), which is also found in their nearest (ancestral) relative, 7. H. pubescens.
Kunkel (1977) reported that H. coadunatum was in danger where it grows near roads, and that, without protection, it could disappear on account of lack of water. Keller's (1925) record of ' var. disjunctum’ from Tenerife is apparently without foundation.