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Nomenclature
Hypericum somaliense N. Robson
Nomenclature
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Section: sect. AdenosepalumSubsection: subsect. Caprifolia
- holotype: K - Newbould - 886
DIAGNOSTIC DESCRIPTION
Perennial herb 0.15-0.6 m tall, erect or decumbent to ascending and rooting at base, from woody taproot, upper branches sometimes present, ascending, the whole plant up to the bracteoles whitish tomentose. Stems green to pale red-brown, terete, internodes mostly exceeding leaves. Leaves sessile; lamina 10-18(-23) x 4-9 mm, narrowly oblong to triangular-ovate or triangular-lanceolate, almost concolorous, chartaceous, not glaucous, plane, spreading; apex obtuse to apiculate or rounded, margin plane, entire, base rounded to subcordate-amplexicaul; venation: 2-3 pairs of laterals curved- ascending from lower 0.2-0.4 of midrib, tertiary reticulation obscure; laminar glands pale, dense, unequal, not prominent; intramarginal glands black, rather dense. Inflorescence c. 10-30-flowered from 1- 2 nodes, subcorymbiform to capitate-rounded, rather dense, with sparse amber glands, not prominent, without lower flowering branches; pedicels 2.5-4.5 mm in fruit; bracts not auriculate; bracteoles linear-triangular, with margin black-glandular-ciliate. Flowers c. 15 mm in diam.; buds ellipsoid, acute. Sepals 2-5 x 1.5- 2 mm, equal, lanceolate, to ovate, acute to aristate, glandular-ciliate to -fimbriate; veins 5(-7), unbranched; laminar glands pale, linear to punctiform; marginal glands black; marginal and apical glands black, smaller. Petals orange-yellow, not red-tinged, 7-9 x c. 2-3 mm, c. 2-3.5 x sepals, oblong-lanceolate?, rounded, with apiculus acute, short; laminar glands pale, linear to striiform; marginal glands black, sessile, prominent. Stamens c. 30, clearly 3-fascicled, longest 6.5-8 mm, c. 0.9 x petals; anther gland black. Ovary c. 2 x 1 mm, ovoid-conic; styles 3, c. 6 mm, c. 3 x ovary, spreading-incurved. Capsule 4.5-5.5 x 2.5-3 mm, narrowly ovoid, exceeding sepals, not enclosed by separately twisting petals. Seeds dark reddish brown, 0.5 mm long; testa finely scalariform-reticulate.