Mount Olympus St. John's wort | |
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Cultivated flower at the University of Wrocław Botanical Garden, Poland | |
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Whole of the flowering plant in the Botanical Garden Liberec, Czech Republic | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Hypericaceae |
Genus: | Hypericum |
Section: | Hypericum sect. Olympia |
Species: | H. olympicum |
Binomial name | |
Hypericum olympicum | |
Forms | |
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Synonyms [1] | |
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Hypericum olympicum, commonly known as the Mount Olympus St. John's wort, [2] [Note 1] 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. [3]
H. olympicum was first described in Carolus Linnaeus's Species Plantarum in 1753. [1]
H. olympicum contains both hypericin and pseudohypericin, a trait shared in the Olympia group and sections Adenosepalum and Hypericum, which would suggest that the species is more closely related to species in those sections than in other more primitive sections. [4]
There are eight accepted infraspecifics of H. olympicum, three of which are varieties and five of which are forms. These generally have very little variance from the type of the species, but can have some minor unique features. [5]
Varieties | Authority | Differentiating Features | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
H. olympicum var. latifolium | Stef. | Smaller flowers and leaves | [6] |
H. olympicum var. minus | Heldr. ex Degen | [7] | |
H. olympicum var. olympicum | [7] | ||
Forms | Authority | Reference | |
H. olympicum f. macrocalyx | (Velen.) N. Robson | [5] | |
H. olympicum f. minor | Hausskn. | [5] | |
H. olympicum f. olympicum | [5] | ||
H. olympicum f. tenuifolium | (D. Jord & Kož.) N. Robson | [7] | |
H. olympicum f. uniflorum | Boiss. & Balansa | [7] |
The species is a shrub or subshrub that grows to be 0.1–0.55 metres (0.33–1.80 ft) tall. It can grow in an erect to decumbent manner, or rarely prostrate. It can have few to numerous stems, and it is caespitose, occasionally rooting, and unbranched below its flowers. The stems' internodes are 5–15 millimetres (0.20–0.59 in) long, and can be either short or longer than the leaves. [8]
The leaves are spreading to erect, and are more or less glaucous, and are 5–30 by 2–12 millimetres (0.197 in–1.181 in × 0.079 in–0.472 in) in size. They are elliptic or rarely lanceolate-elliptic, are concolorous and thinly coriaceous. Their apex is acute to subacute or rounded-obtuse, with a rounded or cuneate base. They have 0-3 pairs of lateral veins and are unbranched (at least visibly). The laminar glands are pale and not prominent, and the intramarginal glands are black, small, and few in number. [8]
The plant is usually 1–5 flowered, but can have up to nine flowers that grow from three nodes, and rarely from one lower node. Their pedicels are 2–4 millimetres (0.079–0.157 in) long and rather stout. The bracts are reduced-foliar, are broadly imbricate, and lack black glands, and the bracteoles are similar but smaller in size. The flowers are 30–65 millimetres (1.2–2.6 in) in diameter, and their buds are ovoid-pyramidal and rounded. The sepals are either unequal or subequal, are broadly imbricate, and are paler than the leaves. They are 6–16 by 3–12 millimetres (0.24 in–0.63 in × 0.12 in–0.47 in), and are broadly ovate to lanceolate, and have a rounded base. They are entire, large, pointed, and persistent in fruit. [9] They have 9–15 veins that are branching. Their laminar glands are pale and linear, and there are sometimes a few that are black and punctiform. Their marginal glands are normally absent, but there can rarely be one or two black apical ones. Their petals are golden or pale yellow, and can have a tinge or lines of red. They are 15–30 by 8–12 millimetres (0.59 in–1.18 in × 0.31 in–0.47 in), and there are around 2 times as many of them as sepals. They are rounded and their apiculus is short, and they are acute to obtuse. Their laminar glands are pale and linear, and their marginal glands are absent or black, and there are one to around seven of them. There are around 65–125 (0.9 times as many sepals) stamens that are 14–25 millimetres (0.55–0.98 in) long. The ovaries are 3 by 2.5 millimetres (0.118 in × 0.098 in) and are broadly ovoid, the styles are 18–23 millimetres (0.71–0.91 in) and there are six to eight times as many as the ovaries. [8] [10]
The seed capsule is 5–10 by 4–8 millimetres (0.20 in–0.39 in × 0.16 in–0.31 in) and is shorter than the sepals, and is shaped broadly oval-like to spherical. The seeds are a dark brown color, and are around 1.8 millimetres (0.071 in) with shallow testa. [8]
Hypericum olympicum is very similar in appearance to Hypericum polyphyllum , but there are many key differences to tell them apart. Most reliably, the leaves of H. olympicum are far less glandular, with at most one irregular line of glands, whereas the leaves of H. polyphyllum always have a full regular row and many scattered glands. In addition, whereas the sepals of H. olympicum are almost always undotted, the sepals of H. polyphyllum are usually dotted all over with black glands. Lastly, since H. polyphyllum is not cultivated, if the plant is in cultivation or shows cultivated characteristics, it is most likely H. olympicum. [9]
The species is native to Southeastern Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece (excluding Crete and western Aegean islands), and northwestern Turkey. [11] [12] The species was first introduced to England in 1676 by Sir George Wheeler from seeds found in Turkey, and it was cultivated at the Oxford Botanical Garden. [9] The species has also been recorded as establishing itself in Belgium and France, where it is considered an invasive species. [13] [5]
It can be found in sandy, stony, and sometimes grassy places or among rocks in open ground, or in pine woodland at elevations of 0–2000 m. [11]
Because of its large, showy flowers, relative hardiness, and dense shape, the species is valued among gardeners, specifically in the United Kingdom. It has been noted for these properties and won several awards, including in 1930, under the incorrect name of H. fragile , winning the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [2] While the species is not at all harmful to humans, it can be toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, and should be planted away from such animals. [14]
It can be grown in chalk, clay, sand, or loam, and requires moist ground, but with sharp drainage. As it requires sharp drainage to prevent winter rot, it is a suitable subject for the rockery or alpine garden. [15] The species requires pH to be between 6.1 and 7.8, which means it can tolerate both mildly acidic and mildly alkaline conditions. [16] The plant usually takes 5–10 years to reach its full height, but much less than that to reach maturity. [2]
The species should be planted in May or June, will flower from June to August, and cuttings should be taken from May to July. [14]
Hardiness Zone | Lowest Temperature |
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5a | -28.8 °C (-20 °F) |
5b | -26.1 °C (-15 °F) |
6a | -23.3 °C (-10 °F) |
6b | -20.5 °C (-5 °F) |
7a | -17.7 °C (0 °F) |
7b | -14.9 °C (5 °F) |
8a | -12.2 °C (10 °F) |
8b | -9.4 °C (15 °F) |
There are several cultivated forms of H. olympicum, with H. olympicum 'Citrinum' being by far the best known. So-called because of its lemon-colored petals, it is often the plant that is found in home or botanical gardens. [17]
Infraspecific | Cultivar Name | Unique Features | Reference |
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Hypericum olympicum f. uniflorum | 'Citrinum' | Lemon-colored flowers, larger flower size | [18] |
Hypericum olympicum | 'Sulphureum' | Lance shaped leaves | [19] |
Hypericum olympicum f. minus | 'Variegatum' | Leaves variegated when new | [20] |
H. olympicum f. olympicum is used alongside other Hypericum species in parts of rural Turkey as traditional folk medicine. Typically, its flowers are harvested and used to treat stomach aches, cuts, and burns. [21]
H. olympicum contains numerous essential oil compounds, with the main components being (E)‐anethole (used as an aromatic substance), β‐farnesene (used as a constituent to essential oils), and spathulenol. [22] [23] Other components included germacrene D and (E)‐caryophyllene, [24] as well as an unusually high amount of terpenes. [25]
Sample | Alkanes | Monoterpene hydrocarbons | Oxygenated monoterpenes | Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons | Oxygenated sesquiterpenes | Others |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H. olympicum | 8.2 | 5.9 | 4.7 | 47.9 | 13.2 | 7.3 |
H. perforatum | 18.0 | 31.6 | 3.0 | 35.2 | 43.6 | - |
H. tetrapterum | 21.9 | trace | trace | 43.6 | 19.5 | 1.0 |
While as of 2019 extracts from the species are not currently used as antibacterials, they do contain antibacterial properties. Specifically, the plant contains new types of acylphloroglucinol that have been given the name olympicin after the species' name. [26] [27]
Similarly, as of 2019, H. olympicum is not widely used as an antidepressant in the way that Hypericum perforatum is, but it has been shown to have many similar or better antidepressant properties. Specifically, the amentoflavone in H. olympicum was shown to have previously unstudied antidepressant capabilities. [28]
H. olympicum has been studied alongside other Hypericum species for their ability to suppress the growth of cancer in several ways. The species has been shown to have minor antigrowth effects on certain types of lung cancer, slowing the replication of cancerous cells in a laboratory setting. It has also been shown to help induce apoptosis in damaged cells because of the genotoxic properties of some of its chemical constituents. The species has not had any of its extracts approved for anticancer regimens. [29]
H. olympicum contains a smaller amount of flavonoids and tannins than other Hypericum species, but still displays significant antioxidizing capabilities, which suggests there are significant amounts of other undetected compounds in the plant. [30]
Sample | DPPH% | ABTS% | FRAP μM TE/g dw |
---|---|---|---|
H. olympicum | 58.8 ± 0.1 | 57.9 ± 0.1 | 89.9 ± 0.2 |
H. perforatum | 77.6 ± 0.5 | 81.2 ± 0.4 | 32.4 ± 0.5 |
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 1 metre 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.
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.
Hypericaceae is a plant family in the order Malpighiales, comprising six to nine genera and up to 700 species, and commonly known as the St. John's wort family. Members are found throughout the world apart from extremely cold or dry habitats. Hypericum and Triadenum occur in temperate regions but other genera are mostly tropical.
Hypericum tetrapterum is a herbaceous perennial plant species in the flowering plant family Hypericaceae. Its common names include St. Peter's wort, Peterwort, square stemmed St. John's wort, and square stalked St. John's wort.
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.
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.
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 hirsutum is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae, commonly known as hairy St John's-wort. It is found in Western Europe.
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.
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.
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 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 virginicum, the marsh St. Johns-wort or Virginia marsh St. Johnswort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is native to the central and eastern United States and eastern Canada.
Hypericum aucheri, also known as Koramanotu in Turkish, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the St. John's wort family Hypericaceae.
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 harperi, the sharplobe St. Johnswort or Harper's St. John's wort, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is an aquatic herb native to southeast North America. H. harperi has a diploid chromosome number of 24.
Hypericum heterophyllum is a flowering plant in the Hypericaceae family and is the only species in Hypericum sect. Heterophylla.
Hypericum elodeoides, commonly called the Himalayan St. John's Wort, is a species of flowering plant of the St. John's wort family (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.