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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides (St. andrew's-cross)
Dunatchik, David

Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides

Hypericum hypericoides (L.) Crantz ssp. hypericoides

St. Andrew's-cross

Clusiaceae (Mangosteen Family)

Synonym(s): Ascyrum hypericoides, Ascyrum hypericoides var. oblongifolium, Ascyrum linifolium

USDA Symbol: HYHYH

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), PR (N)

Pairs of small, oval leaves lines the sparse, ascending to spreading branches of this 1-5 ft. shrubby plant. Showy, yellow, flowers with numerous stamens top the branches either singly or in branched clusters from the upper axils. The four petals of each flower are arranged in a cross.

Three well-defined subspecies of Hypericum hypericoides occur in the eastern U.S.: ssp. hypericoides, ssp. multicaule, and ssp. oblongifolium.

 

From the Image Gallery

4 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 5 feet tall.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , DE , FL , GA , IL , KY , LA , MD , MO , MS , NC , NJ , OK , SC , TN , TX , VA
Native Distribution: FL to e. TX, n. to Nantucket I., PA, s. IN & s.e. KS
Native Habitat: Dry woods; pine barrens; sand hills & ridges; floodplains

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Description: Light, sandy or rocky soils
Conditions Comments: Three well-defined varieties occur in the eastern U.S.: var. hypericoides – FL to TX & Mex., n. to VA & TN; var. multicaule – GA to e. TX, n. to MA, s. IN & s.e. MO; and var. oblongifolium – FL to MS, n. to MD & s.e. MO

Propagation

Description: Root division in winter; seeds sown in spring after a winter of cold, moist storage
Seed Collection: Collect seeds when the capsules are no longer green but before they split open.
Commercially Avail: yes

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 1086 Collected Oct 4, 1996 in Bexar County by Robert N. Nelson

1 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-14
Research By: TWC Staff

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