Hypericum foliosum

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Hypericum foliosum
Hypericum foliosum.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Hypericaceae
Genus: Hypericum
Section: Hypericum sect. Androsaemum
Species:
H. foliosum
Binomial name
Hypericum foliosum

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.

Contents

Etymology

The genus name Hypericum is possibly derived from the Greek words hyper (above) and eikon (picture), in reference to the tradition of hanging the plant over religious icons in the home. [2] The specific epithet " foliosum " comes from the Latin word " foliosus " which refers to a leaf. [3] In the Azores Islands, Hypericum foliosum is known as malfurada or furalha. [4] In English, it is called the shining St John's wort. [5]

Description

Hypericum foliosum is a bushy shrub with many stems. Hypericum foliosum (3).JPG
Hypericum foliosum is a bushy shrub with many stems.

Hypericum foliosum is a perennial shrub that grows at least 50–100 centimeters tall. It may be bushy, and its branches grow both upright and outwards from the center of the plant. [6] It usually flowers in August. [5]

Vegetative structures

The stems are notched, showing crenation, and are a yellow-brown color. [7] The stems are flattened when the plant is young, but become more round as it matures. They are covered in bark covered in lengthwise ridges and dark pits that stand out against the lighter surface. [6] The stem has an average width of around 0.35 cm, and there is around 2 cm of stem between leaves. [7] When viewed in cross-section, there are four distinct rings in the stem. The outermost is a thick, reddish-brown cuticle of cork. The next two rings are an external and internal cortex containing secretory canals, vascular bundles, rows of phloem, and secondary xylem. The innermost ring is made of pith with starch grains in the cells. [8]

From top to bottom: leaf, flower cluster, and petal of H. foliosum Hypericum foliosum morphology diagrams.png
From top to bottom: leaf, flower cluster, and petal of H. foliosum

The leaves are located on opposite sides of the stem and are shaped like an egg that is stretched to be longer, or similar to a lance. [9] They are 3.5–6.0 cm long and 1–3.2 cm wide. Their texture is papery and they are a lighter color on the undersides. [6] The edges of the leaf are smooth and lack notches, and the point tapers in a sharp angle. There is either no leafstalk or a very short leafstalk that attaches each leaf to the stem. There are also small stipules near the leafstalk that are yellow-brown like the stems. [9] There are no stomata on the upper surface of the leaf, but there are several kinds of the guard cells on the undersides. There are also many translucent oil glands scattered across both leaf surfaces. [10] The central leaf vein is flanked by 4–5 pairs of ascending veins, and the leaf's network of small tertiary veins are also clearly visible. The leaves contain both chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b. [11]

Flowering structures

The flowers of Hypericum foliosum are grouped in clusters of 1–9, in a shape between a corymb and umbel. The branches that carry the flowers generally grow upwards, and the cluster sometimes has accessory flowers lower on the branches. The stalks that bear an individual flower are 0.7–1.2 cm long with small lance-shaped bracts. Each flower is 2.5–3.0 cm wide; when buds, they are shaped between an ellipsoid and an imperfect sphere and are not pointed at the end. The sepals are usually 0.3–0.6 cm long and 0.1–0.3 cm wide. They overlap one another, are of differing sizes even on one flower, and remain after the flower fruits. The shape of the sepals varies: they could look like a triangular lance or a flattened ellipse, and their ends can be blunt or pointed. The glands on the surface of the sepals are arranged in lines, and there are also dense glands along the edges. [6]

The petals are golden yellow and lack a red tinge. They are 1.2–1.8 cm long and 0.5–0.8 cm wide, with the shape of an inverted lance. The stamens are bundled in fascicles of 20–30, the longest of which measure 1.2–1.8 cm long. The ovary is oval-shaped with styles that are 0.5–1.0 cm long and stigmas that end in a distinct narrow head. The seed capsule is 0.8–1.3 cm long and 0.7–1.0 cm wide, with a wide cylindrical shape and an end that is blunt or pointed. They start out somewhat fleshy but quickly dry out and eventually split open, though sometimes only partially. The seeds are yellow-brown and have wing shaped appendages. [6]

Similar species

Hypericum foliosum is most similar in appearance to the other species in section Androsaemum . Most of its characteristics are between those of H. grandifolium and H. androsaemum , except for its leaves which are narrower than either. It can be told apart from H. grandifolium by its denser flower clusters, smaller flowers, and shorter styles. [12] It is also highly similar to the hybrid Hypericum × inodorum, but is differentiated by the shape of its sepals and seed capsules. [13]

Chemistry

Like many other Hypericum species, Hypericum foliosum has a diverse essential oil profile, with volume per weight yields of around 0.10–0.25%. Nonane and limonene were universally dominant in the plant's extracts. Other compounds like terpinolene, caryophyllene, and pinene sometimes can make up a significant percentage of the oil. In general, monoterpene hydrocarbons are more common than sesquiterpenes. [14]

Phenols are a group of chemical compounds produced by plants that are common in medical products. [15] In extract taken from the leaves of the plant, the main phenolic compounds are caffeoylquinic acids and quercetin. The stems and roots lack quercetin, and the seed capsules contain neither. [11] Another chemical component of the plant are the carotenoids, which help create bright colors and aid in reproduction. [11] These compounds are found most densely in the leaves, stem, and bark; the roots, seeds, and flowers have much lower concentrations. [11]

Taxonomy

"Androsaemum‑group"

sect. Arthrophyllum

sect. Triadenioides

sect. Webbia

H. canariense

sect. Bupleuroides

H. bupleuroides

sect. Androsaemum

H. androsaemum

H. hircinum

H. foliosum

H. grandifolium

Cladogram showing the phylogeny and relationships of H. foliosum within the "Androsaemum-group" based on Meseguer et al. 2013 [16]

The species was first formally described as Hypericum foliosum in 1789 in the botanical journal Hortus Kewensis by William Aiton. [17] In this original description, based off the type specimen collected on São Miguel in 1777, [6] Aiton noted the species' long petals and sharp calyx as differentiating characteristics. [5] Augustin Pyramus de Candolle followed Aiton's nomenclature in 1824, [18] as did several other authors through the 19th century. [6]

Norman Robson included the species in an assay of Hypericum as a contribution to the 1968 work Flora Europaea. He further analyzed Hypericum foliosum in 1984 as a part of his monograph of the genus. [6] A 2013 study used Bayesian inference to establish the phylogeny and close relations of Hypericum species. Section Androsaemum, including Hypericum foliosum, was placed into an Old World taxon called the "Androsaemum-group" with several other sections. The study also determined that H. foliosum was most closely related to Hypericum hircinum. [16]

Ecology

Hypericum foliosum is endemic to the Azores Islands in the North Atlantic, [17] where it can be found on every island. [6] It inhabits the laurel and juniper forests of the archipelago, [19] especially in shady and damp areas of mountainous regions at elevations of 220–800 meters. [6] It also grows in stands of Pittosporum trees and is quick to inhabit volcanic ash deposits. [19] In general, it is good at colonizing recently cleared areas like man-made clearings and landslide sites. Populations at a site are usually made up of only a few plants. [4]

Several parasites are hosted by the leaves of H. foliosum. The rust fungus Melampsora hypericorum takes the form of a pustule on the leaf, damaging the surface. Larvae of the moth Caloptilia aurantiaca mine into the leaves and later live under the folded tip of the blade. [20]

H. foliosum is not directly endangered by competition with invasive species or human actions; [19] it was listed as Least Concern by the IUCN in 2016. [1] However, it has been studied as a model for using micropropagation as a conservation method on the Azores. Micropropagation has previously been used in Hypericum perforatum and Hypericum canariense . A single node of the species that is propagated using this method can yield 2–4 new plants in around four months. [21]

Uses

While no official pharmacological usage of Hypericum foliosum were recorded as of 2011, [11] locals in the Azores describe the species as being used in traditional medicine in similar ways to other species in the genus. [22] Some of these applications derive from the diuretic, hepatoprotective, and antihypertensive properties of its extract. [23] Despite having more phenolic activity than H. undulatum and H. androsaemum , those two species are as or more common in Portuguese medicinal markets. [22] H. foliosum has exhibited in vitro antibiotic effects on infectious bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus. [24] Its carotenoid and phenolic oils give the plant's extract antioxidant properties. The lower parts of the plant like the stem, bark, and roots are the most effective. [25]

Related Research Articles

<i>Hypericum perforatum</i> Flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum perforatum, commonly known as St John's wort, is a flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is a perennial plant that grows up to one meter tall, with many yellow flowers that have clearly visible black glands around their edges, long stamens, and three pistils. Probably a hybrid between the closely related H. attenuatum and H. maculatum that originated in Siberia, the species is now found worldwide. It is native to temperate regions across Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of North and South America. In many areas where it is not native, H. perforatum is considered a noxious weed. It densely covers open areas to the exclusion of native plants, and is poor grazing material. As such, methods for biocontrol have been introduced in an attempt to slow or reverse the spread of the species.

<i>Hypericum</i> Genus of flowering plants known as St. Johns worts

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.

<i>Hypericum maculatum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum maculatum, commonly known as imperforate St John's-wort, or spotted St. Johnswort, is a species of perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is native to Europe and Western Asia where it grows in moist meadows.

<i>Hypericum androsaemum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum androsaemum, the shrubby St. John's wort, is a flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. Commonly called tutsan or sweet-amber, the species is cultivated as an ornamental plant because of its striking red-tinted foliage, bright yellow petals, and its large clusters of fruit. Cultivars like 'Albury Purple' and 'Golden Tutsan' which have leaves with more pronounced purple and golden coloring, respectively.

<i>Hypericum mutilum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum mutilum is a species of St. John's wort known by the common name dwarf St. John's wort. It is native to parts of North America and is present in other parts as an introduced species. It is an annual or perennial herb taking a multibranched erect form up to about 60 centimeters tall. The oval green leaves are one or two centimeters long and are covered in tiny glands. The inflorescence is a compound cyme of tiny flowers. H. mutilum subsp. mutilum and subsp. boreale have a diploid number of 16, and H. mutilum subsp. boreale can have a diploid number of 18.

<i>Hypericum grandifolium</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum grandifolium, the large-leaved St John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. The species is a bushy shrub that can grow to almost 2 meters tall. It has large leaves, golden yellow petals, and seed capsules that split open. H. grandifolium is native to the Canary Islands and Madeira in Macaronesia, but has become invasive in other regions, including California, after escaping from cultivation as an ornamental plant. It is parasitized by wasps and fungi, and is capable of reproducing through its rhizomes.

<i>Hypericum aegypticum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum aegypticum is a species of flowering plant of the St. John's wort family (Hypericaceae) which is native to the Eastern Mediterranean. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in the second volume of his Species Plantarum in 1753, who named it after Egypt despite it not being distributed there. The plant is commonly known as shrubby St. John's wort or Egyptian St. John's wort in English. Like other members of section Adenotrias, it is found among limestone rocks in coastal areas. While it has been evaluated as threatened on the island of Malta, the species has no legal protections.

<i>Hypericum annulatum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum annulatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is a perennial herb of varying heights which grows upright, with more than a hundred flowers of a golden yellow color. First described in 1827, the species has a wide distribution from Eastern Europe to East Africa, and its appearance can vary greatly based on its geographic location. It has been used in Bulgarian folk medicine, and has more recently been investigated for its effectiveness in slowing the growth of or killing certain types of human cancer.

<i>Hypericum bupleuroides</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum bupleuroides is a species of perennial flowering plant in the St John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It grows 45–80 centimeters tall, and notably has perfoliate leaves that are fused at the stem. It has pyramid-shaped flower clusters of 1 to 25 flowers with yellow petals in a star-shaped arrangement. The species is found along the Black Sea coast near the Turkish–Georgian border. Hypericum bupleuroides has a small distribution and specific habitat requirements that make it vulnerable to environmental pressures.

<i>Hypericum hircinum</i> Species of flowering plant

Hypericum hircinum is a species of perennial flowering plant in the St John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is known as goat St John's wort and stinking tutsan; both names refer to the plant's distinctive odor. The species is a bushy shrub that can grow up to 1.5 meters tall, is many-stemmed, and has golden yellow flowers with conspicuous stamens. The plant has been well-documented in botanical literature, with mentions dating back to at least 1627. Carl Linnaeus described H. hircinum several times, including in his 1753 Species Plantarum which established its binomial. At one point the plant was placed into the defunct genus Androsaemum, but it was returned to Hypericum by Norman Robson in 1985.

<i>Hypericum kalmianum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum kalmianum, commonly called Kalm's St. Johns wort or Kalm's St. Johnswort, is a flowering plant in the St. John's wort family Hypericaceae. It is native to the Great Lakes region in the northern United States and southern Canada. Hypericum kalmianum was named after its discoverer, Swedish botanist Pehr Kalm (1715-1779).

<i>Hypericum <span style="font-style:normal;">sect.</span> Androsaemum</i> Group of flowering plants

Androsaemum, commonly called tutsan, is a section of flowering plants in the family Hypericaceae. Originally considered its own independent genus, it was later placed under Hypericum as a section of related species. Today, it consists of Hypericum androsaemum, H. foliosum, H. grandifolium, and H. hircinum, as well as the hybrid H. × inodorum. It is also the namesake of an "Androsaemum-group" of related taxa that includes several other sections of Old World species.

<i>Hypericum punctatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Hypericum punctatum, the spotted St. John's wort, is a perennial herb native to North America. The yellow-flowered herb occurs throughout eastern North America into southern Canada. The process of microsporogenesis carried out by this plant is prone to errors in chromosomal segregation. It has a diploid number of 14 or 16. Insects are attracted to the plant's pollen and the hypericin in the plant's leaves is toxic to mammals.

Hypericum cuisinii is a perennial herb in the genus Hypericum, in the section Adenosepalum. The herb has pale yellow flowers and occurs in Greece and Turkey.

<i>Hypericum undulatum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum undulatum, the wavy St Johns Wort, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant native to western Europe and northern Africa. The specific name undulatum is Latin, meaning "wavy" or "undulated", referring, just as the common name, to the wavy leaf margins of the herb. The plant has a diploid number of 16 or 32.

<i>Hypericum majus</i> Species of flowering plant

Hypericum majus, the greater Canadian St. John's wort, is a perennial herb native to North America. The specific epithet majus means "larger". The plant has a diploid number of 16.

Hypericum assamicum is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is endemic to India. Hypericum assamicum is one of two species of Hypericum in the section Hypericum sect. Sampsonia.

<i>Hypericum sechmenii</i> Flowering plant of the St Johns wort family

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.

<i>Hypericum orientale</i> Species of Hypericaceae

Hypericum orientale, the Ptarmic-leafed St. John's wort or Eastern St. John's wort, is a flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is distributed across northern Turkey, Georgia, the Caucasus, and Dagestan. The species can be found on stony sloped amidst volcanic rocks in the mountains and in light woodlands at elevations of up to 2,300 m (7,500 ft). It flowers from May to June and July to August. The plant has small, bright yellow flowers and grows across the ground in a creeping pattern. It prefers full sun and is ideal for rock gardens, and is hardy down to -30°F.

References

  1. 1 2 Silva, L. (2017). "Hypericum foliosum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T103562390A103562402. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T103562390A103562402.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Coombes 2012, p. 172.
  3. ↑ Lewis, Charlton; Short, Charles (1879). "A Latin Dictionary". Perseus Tufts. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 Moura 1998, p. 244.
  5. 1 2 3 Aiton et al. 1789, p. 104.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Robson 1985, p. 300.
  7. 1 2 Caldeira et al. 2023, p. 1089.
  8. ↑ Caldeira et al. 2023, p. 1091.
  9. 1 2 Caldeira et al. 2023, p. 1090.
  10. ↑ Caldeira et al. 2023, p. 1092-1093.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Rainha et al. 2011, p. 1933.
  12. ↑ Robson 1985, p. 301.
  13. ↑ Robson 1968, p. 261.
  14. ↑ Santos et al. 1999, p. 286.
  15. ↑ Scott, Cox & Njardarson 2022, p. 7044.
  16. 1 2 Meseguer, Aldasoro & Sanmartín 2013, p. 386.
  17. 1 2 "Hypericum foliosum". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  18. ↑ de Candolle 1824–1873, p. 544.
  19. 1 2 3 Santos et al. 1999, p. 283.
  20. ↑ "Hypericum foliosum – Plant Parasites of Europe". bladmineerders.nl. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  21. ↑ Moura 1998, p. 248.
  22. 1 2 Rainha et al. 2011, p. 1931.
  23. ↑ Caldeira et al. 2023, p. 1087.
  24. ↑ Gibbons et al. 2005, p. 1272.
  25. ↑ Rainha et al. 2011, p. 1938.

Bibliography

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