Hypericum ericoides | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Hypericaceae |
Genus: | Hypericum |
Section: | Hypericum sect. Coridium |
Species: | H. ericoides |
Binomial name | |
Hypericum ericoides | |
Hypericum ericoides is a dwarf shrub in the flowering plant family Hypericaceae, [1] section Coridium. It is found in eastern and southeastern Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia. Its preferred habitat is fissures in calcareous rocks in warm, sunny places, from 200 to 2,000 meters above sea level (MASL).
Hypericum ericoides is an evergreen flowering dwarf shrub whose height is between 2 and 20 centimeters. Its deciduous leaves are whorled in groups of four, are about one-twelfth of an inch long, and have linear-lanceolate and recurved shape with a thin, waxy-grey colored covering, which is called a patina. [2] Its leaves are very much like that of plants from the genus Erica , which is where we get the ericoides of Hypericum ericoides. This species' foliage helps scientists distinguish H. ericoides from other closely related species. [3] It has many thin, erect stems, ranging from 1 to 5 millimeters in width, branching out from a stout, woody base. [2]
Its flowers, which start to bloom in May and continue to bloom throughout summer, [4] range from one to one and a half centimeters in diameter, are often yellow in color, and have five petals.
Hypericum ericoides has been used for many years in Valentian folk medicine. [5] Interested by this, the species has been studied for its health benefits, not only because of its use in folk medicine but also for scientific reasons. Some of these include its antiglycation, antioxidation, anti-lipid peroxidation and cytotoxic activities. [6] Studies have shown that the species can be used to dissolve kidney stones, improve blood circulation, and increase appetite. [7]
In addition, H. ericoides has a fairly low fatty acid composition in comparison to several other members of its genus. [8] It also contains some xanthone compounds. [9]
There are several unofficial subspecies of Hypericum ericoides, including H. ericoides ericoides, H. ericoides roberti, and H. ericoides marrocanum. As these are widely considered by the scientific community synonymous with H. ericoides, and show no distinct difference with the species, these are not officially accepted subspecies. [10]
Hypericum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae. The genus has a nearly worldwide distribution, missing only from tropical lowlands, deserts and polar regions. Many Hypericum species are regarded as invasive species and noxious weeds. All members of the genus may be referred to as St. John's wort, and some are known as goatweed. The white or pink flowered marsh St. John's worts of North America and eastern Asia are generally accepted as belonging to the separate genus TriadenumRaf.
Malondialdehyde belong to the class of β-dicarbonyls. A colorless liquid, malondialdehyde is a highly reactive compound that occurs as the enol. It is a physiological metabolite, and a marker for oxidative stress.
Hypericum tortuosum is a species of flowering plant in the genus Hypericum. It is found only in Socotra, Yemen, where it is endemic. The species is an apomorphic relative of the other Socotran species in Hypericum sect. Triadenioides and is most closely related to Hypericum scopulorum. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
Hypericum balearicum is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae, native to Spain's Balearic Islands. It is the only species in the section Psorophytum.
Hypericum olympicum, commonly known as the Mount Olympus St. John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae found in the Balkans and Turkey and introduced to western Europe. It has been widely cultivated for centuries because of its large, showy flowers, which are far larger than those of most other species in Hypericum.
Hypericum acmosepalum is a dwarf shrub in Hypericumsect. Ascyreia that is native to China and known as jian e jin si tao locally.
Hypericum foliosum, the shining St John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is a bushy shrub endemic to the Portuguese Azores Islands with golden yellow petals and many stems. The species was described by William Aiton in 1789 and was later placed into section Androsaemum of the genus Hypericum by Norman Robson in 1984. It has a diverse essential oil profile made up mostly of monoterpene hydrocarbons, and significant concentrations of various medicinally useful phenols and carotenoids. Populations of the plant are small in number, but quick to colonize cleared areas like groves, landslide areas, and volcanic ash deposits. It is parasitized by fungus and by moth species, but is not considered endangered by the IUCN. H. foliosum is used in traditional medicine on the Azores for diuretic, hepatoprotective, and antihypertensive purposes. It also has in vitro antibiotic and antioxidizing capabilities.
Hypericum sect. Adenosepalum is one of 36 sections in the genus Hypericum. Its type species is Hypericum montanum.
Hypericum edisonianum, known as Arcadian St. John's wort, Edison's St. John's wort, and Edison ascyrum, is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is endemic to Florida.
Hypericum phellos is a species of shrub or small tree in Hypericumsect. Brathys. The species is found in Colombia and Venezuela on scrubby slopes and moist woods.
Hypericum tetrapetalum, the fourpetal St. Johnswort, is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is found in the Southeastern United States and Cuba. It was first described by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1797.
Hypericum lancasteri, known as Lancaster's St. John's wort or as zhan e jin si tao in Chinese, is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family Hypericaceae. The species has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Hypericum myrtifolium, the myrtleleaf St. Johnswort, is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is endemic to the Southeastern United States. It was first described by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1797.
Hypericum oblongifolium, known as Pendant St. John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in Hypericumsect. Ascyreia.
Hypericum patulum, known as goldencup St. John's wort or yellow mosqueta, is a species of flowering plant in Hypericumsect. Ascyreia.
Hypericum sechmenii, or Seçmen's St John's wort, is a rare species of flowering plant of the St John's wort family (Hypericaceae) that is found in the Eskişehir Province of central Turkey. It was first described in 2009 by Turkish botanists Atila Ocak and Onur Koyuncu, who named the species in honor of Özcan Seçmen, a fellow botanist. They assigned the species to the genus Hypericum, and Norman Robson later placed H. sechmenii into the section Adenosepalum.
Hypericum rupestre is a species of flowering plant in the genus Hypericum. It is the type species of sect. Arthrophyllum. It was first described by Hippolyte Jaubert and Édouard Spach in 1842 in the journal Ill. Pl. Orient.. The species is found only in a small area in the southern region of Turkey.
Hypericum coris, the heath-leaved St. John's wort, also called yellow coris, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae, and is the type species of sect. Coridium. It is a low shrub, and it is found in Switzerland and northwestern Italy. The species has been a popular garden plant since the 18th century, valued for its long flowering period and for how well it adapts to cultivation.
Hypericum minutum is a species of flowering plant in the St John's wort family Hypericaceae. It is a small perennial herb that grows in tufts. It has slender and brittle stems, flowers in clusters of one to three, yellow petals with black and amber glands, few stamens, and a seed capsule with narrow grooves. H. minutum is closely related to H. huber-morathii and H. sechmenii and resembles a smaller form of the latter plant. The plant is endemic to Turkey, and is found among limestone rocks in a limited region of southwestern Anatolia. Originally excluded from a comprehensive monograph of Hypericum, the species' placement within the genus is unclear. It has been placed in both section Adenosepalum and section Origanifolium.