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Perforate St John's wort

 

 

 

 This year the perforate St. John’s wort started flowering in the end of June, but it flowers for a long time, some months. The rarer conspecific started in July.

 

"If women are pale and white-faced they should drink tea from dried St John’s Wort. Then cheeks will be red again”,  people of old said of this herb’s power (its Estonian name naistepuna means women’s blush or rouge).

 

 Perforate St John's wort

 

The perforate St John’s wort prefers sandy or rocky soil, favouring light habitats. A list of habitats would be very long.

 

The plant grows 30-80 centimetres tall. The stem at ground level is round, higher up two-edged, with opposite leaves, and in the upper part branching and leafless. The perennial rhizome can have several upright stems.

 

The diameter of the flowers can be up to an inch and they have 5 golden yellow petals with pointed tips and sparse dark glandular dots on the outer margins. Looking closer at the flower a pistil with 3 ovaries is visible in the centre of the stamens.

 

 Imperforate St John's wort

 

In Estonia two species are common: the perforate St John’s wort and the imperforate St John’s wort. On a hasty glance similar but with a couple of definite identification marks: the stem of the perforate St John’s wort can be clearly felt to be angular with four edges, the imperforate St John’s wort has a round stem with two ridges. The petals of the perforate St John’s wort have quite pointed tips, those of the imperforate St John’s wort are blunt.

 

As herbs they must be used with caution.

 

 Imperforate St John’s wort

 

The hairy St John’s wort  (Hypericum hirsutum)  is found only locally.

The mountain St John’s wort (Hypericum montanum) is rare.

 

See also Naturegate about the Hypericums: LINK