Hypericum tenuifolium | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Hypericaceae |
Genus: | Hypericum |
Section: | H. sect. Myriandra |
Subsection: | H. subsect. Centrosperma |
Species: | H. tenuifolium |
Binomial name | |
Hypericum tenuifolium | |
Synonyms [3] | |
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Hypericum tenuifolium, known as Atlantic St. John's-wort [4] and sandhill St. John's-wort, [5] is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is endemic [1] to the Southeastern United States. [6]
Atlantic St. John's-wort is a small, spreading shrub, growing 10–50 cm (3.9–19.7 in) tall and forming mats. [6] [7] The leaves are very narrow, hence its name tenuifolium (from Latin tenuis 'thin'and folium 'leaf'), and are only 0.4–0.8 mm (0.016–0.031 in) broad and 4–11 mm (1⁄8–3⁄8 in) long, with rounded tips and revolute margins. The flowerheads are narrowly cylindric, producing 1-7 flowers. Each flower is 10–14 mm (3⁄8–1⁄2 in) broad with 5 sepals, 5 bright yellow petals, and 50-90 stamens. The ovaries are three-parted, forming cylindric capsule fruits. It flowers in the summer, typically June through September, but sometimes as late as December. [5]
Hypericum tenuifolium occurs in the Atlantic coastal plain in the southeastern United States, in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. [6] Its habitat includes dry, open, sandy areas such as pine flatwoods, pine savannas, and sandhills. [6] [5]