[ 3 9 8 6 ]
H Y P E R I C U M barbatum.
Bearded St. Johns Wort.
/6<h
POLYADELPHU Polyandria.
Gen. Char. Cal. deeply 5-cleft, inferior. Pet. 5.
Filaments numerous, united at the base into 3 or 5
sets. Caps, with many seeds.
Spec. Char. Styles three. Calyx and petals fringed
and dotted. Leaves ovate, dotted. Stem erect,
slightly angular.
Syn. Hypericum barbatum. Jacq. Austr. v. 3. 33.
t. 259. Linn. Hyper. in Am. Acad. v. 8. 323.
TVilld. Sp. PL v. 3. 1462.
S c a r c e l y any botanical discovery with which, through
the kindness of our friends, we have been enabled to enrich
our work, has given us more pleasure than this beautiful H y pericum,
found by Mr. G. Don, “ by the side of a hedge near
the wood of Aberdalgy in Strath Earn, Perthshire, but sparingly,
flowering in the end of September or October.” Some
of his specimens have reached us in a sufficiently fresh state
to be drawn in the annexed plate. We know not that this
plant has been much noticed by authors, hut we have specimens
from Switzerland and Italy, as well as Austrian ones
from Jacquin.
The root is perennial. Stems a foot or more in height,
leafy, erect, straight, scarcely branched except at the top ;
round and purplish at the bottom ; rather angular upwards.
Leaves sessile, opposite, ovate, bluntish, entire, slightly revolute,
smooth, veiny, sprinkled on both sides with dark-purplish
glandular dots. Flowers yellow, in a terminal leafy upright
forked panicle, with lanceolate bracteas and calyx-leaves,
both which are strongly and copiously fringed, in the most
elegant manner, with long pale glandular hairs. Petals ob-
ovate, minutely fringed or toothed, dotled like the leaves, as
well as the calyx and bracteas. Stamens in 3 sets. Anthers
orbicular. Styles 3. Jacquin says the capsule is covered with
resinous dots.