Four Petal St. Johnswort earlier this week
No matter how you spell it, St. Johns Wort, St. John’s Wort, St. Johns-wort, or St. Johnswort (Hypericum spp.), the plants in my yard are like a ray of sunshine with their pretty bright-yellow flowers blooming at this time of year. Hypericum is a member of the Clusiaceae Family. Most of the lower 48 states have at least one of the dozens of species in this genus listed as native to their area. It appears in various forms from ground cover to small wildflowers to thick shrubs.
Some species have four petals, while some have five, such as this Roundpod St. Johnswort
Surprisingly, Common St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum), from which a supplement used as a homeopathic remedy is created, is an introduced species and is considered invasive or a noxious weed in many states. We here in Florida are lucky to not be invaded by this exotic with roots in Europe to central China, northern Africa and the western Himalayas. Florida can, however, boast 31 species (according to University of South Florida Institute for Systematic Botany’s Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants) as native to the State.
This species' common name is after St. Andrew
It is underutilized as a landscape plant, which to me makes little sense, since it comes in various shapes and sizes giving it great potential for many applications in the home landscape. Several species work as emergent wedlands plants, that are great pondside or in a rain garden, while others are perfect for drier or sandy soils. Some like full sun, while others are perfectly fine with varying degrees of shade.
With petite flowers and low growth, this species is called Dwarf St. Johnswort
These plants are great additions to attract wildlife, as bees and butterflies appreciate the nectar and pollen provided by the flowers. The Georgia Wildlife Federation reports that two species of St. Johnswort in their state H. frondosum and H. densiflorum are larval hosts for the Gray Hairstreak Butterfly, provide nectar and pollen for bees and that songbirds and game birds use seeds as a food source. H. densiflorum provides habitat and food for small mammals, birds and waterfowl, according to Calvert County, Maryland Department of Planning & Zoning Calvert County Native Plants; Recommended Trees and Shrubs.
Attractive to Pollinators
Several species are recommended in Florida as great native alternatives to common invasive plants and I’m sure would fit the bill in your neck of the woods, as well. Given its extended range and versatility, its worth a look to see which species of this vast genus would fit your own gardening needs.
This St. Andrew's Cross bloomed just yesterday
I spotted the seedling below out toward the pond this week. Although I won’t be sure until a flower blossoms, I’m hoping this is Sandweed a.k.a. Peelbark St. Johnswort (Hypericum fasciculatum) like I think it is. I’ll keep you posted.
I think this may be another St. Johnswort species, but only bloom time will tell for sure
© 2012, Loret T. Setters. All rights reserved. This article is the property of Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. If you are reading this at another site, please report that to us
About Loret T. Setters
We love hypericum up her in Maryland too! You are not kidding, however, when you say it is underutilized. Native hypericums are also not nearly as available for sale as they should be, either.
Hypericums densiflorum was one of the best sellers at our nursery last year, but this year I can’t find a source for seedlings. Luckily, the closely related hypericum prolificum is more readily available!
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I did a search on our native nursery organization’s website and despite all the species that are natives, they don’t seem to be carried at too many places here either. That’s a mystery to me since I was outside in the cold (for Florida….34F last night) and the bright yellow was waving in the breeze…they didn’t bat an eye at the frigid weather and when it is 95, they still are blooming. Perfect for our weather. oh, we’ll be 80 by Wednesday. I can see it will be a heat in the morning, a/c in the afternoon kinda week. I, like the hypericums, will survive!
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I am planting a few hypericum prolificum this year as they are native to NY. I had not had luck prior, but was not giving up…the common Hypericum perforatum is invasive in NY. Can’t wait to get this plant in the garden this spring.
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Hope you have good luck with it, Donna. We salvaged several on a plant rescue that FNPS did on Saturday where the a hospital is going to built. The lot was full of blackberry (ouch), and walking though them was worth the pain when I spotted the bright yellow peering through the thorns. I’ll bet we got 10 or more to plant at one of the schools.
Loret T. Setters recently posted..Boys will be boys
i’ve been wanting to plant one that is native to ny too, probably next year as i overshot my budget already. interestingly, i got a link to this article from mother jones today in my inbox about how it interacts negatively with at least 2 anti-depressants & with birth control pills:
http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/02/st-johns-wort-supplement
cheers,
julianna
Must be St. Johnswort day on the web and here I thought it was in June
I heard that the supplement could interact unfavorably with some meds. Thanks for sharing that article, julianna.
Loret T. Setters recently posted..Boys will be boys
I love love love my H. prolificum—grabbed one on a whim as part of my gotta-catch-’em-all philosophy of native plant gardening, and it has been such a trooper and put out such amazing flowers that I went and got three more last year.
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H. prolificum only seems to be listed for one county down here, but it is one that is in central Florida close to where I am. I’ll have to keep an eye out!
Loret T. Setters recently posted..Boys will be boys
What bright cheery photos for a drab winter day! Thanks so much Loret.
I think it is interesting that there are both perennial and shrubby hypericums. I don’t think there are many other plants like that – at least none that I can think of right now. Maybe Potentilla – but then they just changed the scientific name of potentilla tridenta to Sibbaldiopsis tridenta recently I think – so they must have decided that they were not the same after all and there are just shrubby potentillas that I can think of now. Anyway- for those looking for a native hypericum to brighten up the garden, the shrubby Hypericum kalmianum is available at a few nurseries in the Northeast – including ours. It is native to the Great Lakes States and is a nice one to try.
Thanks Emily!
I always find it amazing when a plant suddenly changes genus. I wonder what sparks the experts to do a doubletake on some of the plants?
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I’ve had good luck growing cuttings from hypericum. Those that volunteer in my yard are not long lived. Have you had the same experience or can you recommend a long-lived variety?
Carole, I’m afraid I’m not able to offer advice on what varieties to buy, for I’m blessed with an actual natural garden where they just pop up. I haven’t planted any, they just appear with new varieties joining older types as more and more of the yard restores itself.
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Who can resist these cheerful sunshiney blooms? Certainly not me
And neither can the solitary bees who burst forth from their winter underground hiding places just about when this blooms up here.
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Some varieties down here stand up to even the freeze, so we have those bright blooms all year long. They just seem so much “yellower” and brighter than other yellow colored flowers. You pegged it with your “cheerful sunshiney blooms” tag. That says it perfectly!
Loret recently posted..Boys will be boys
I miss these sunny faces, for I lost my St. Johnswort a few years back. Thanks for inspiring me to find it again. Even just looking at the flowers . . . in your beautiful photographs . . . is uplifting!
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Thanks Carol. They were easily spotted with their bright yellow heads on our plant rescue of the weekend. The school kids who were learning by helping were able to run and dig quite a few…saving them from the construction shovels was uplifting too!
Loret recently posted..Boys will be boys
Loret, I’m going to plant some this year for the pollinators. Love the sweet color the flowers have. Pat in Illinois