Description:

• Trees, shrubs or herbs
• Leaves opposite, sessile, amplexicaul or shortly petiolate, entire, with translucent glandular dots or linear striae and frequently with dark submarginal glandular dots
• Flowers terminal, solitary or cymose, sometimes forming a corymb or panicle, bisexual
• Sepals usually 5, equal, subequal or unequal, with translucent gland dots or striae, with or without dark, often submarginal dots and sometimes with stalked marginal glands
• Petals usually 5, usually yellow, often red-tinged, asymmetrical, with translucent or dark glandular dots or striae
• Stamens usually very numerous, free or connate at base into 3-5 distinct or indistinct groups; filaments thread-like; anthers with or without yellow or black gland
• Ovary sessile, ovoid or subround, 3-5-locular, with few to many ovules on parietal placentas in each locule; styles 3-5, free or variously united; stigmas small, capitate
• Fruit a septicidal capsule with few to many seeds, rarely indehiscent
• Seeds minute, cylindric to ovoid, straight or slightly curved; testa thin, ribbed, punctate or smooth; embryo straight or curved
• x = 8 (7, 9, 10) (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Hypericum L.
  • Linnaeus: 783 (1753)
  • Sonder: 117 (1860)
  • Bredell: 571 (1939)
  • Robson: 379 (1961)
  • Killick & Robson: 14 (1976)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species ± 400, widespread in temperate climates
• Southern Africa: Species 10, widespread, but mainly eastern regions, extending westwards along Cape coastal area to near Riversdale (Western Cape); *Hypericum perforatum L., is an introduced weed in the Western Cape region (Henderson & Anderson: 218 (1966))