View source for Hypericaceae

                                             
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Hypericaceae (from the genus Hypericum, an ancient Greek name of unknown origin). St. John's-Wort Family. Fig. 39. Herbaceous or woody plants: leaves opposite or whorled, often pellucid punctate or black-punctate: flowers bisexual, regular, cymose; sepals 4-y5, more or less connate, the outer smaller, rarely 4, with the 2 outer much larger; petals as many as the sepals, sessile or clawed; claw naked or with a honey-furrow or -pit; stamens many, hypogynous, usually in 3-5 bundles the members of which are often more or less united, rarely monadelphous; ovary superior 3-5-, rarely 1-, celled; placenta; usually parietal; ovules numerous; styles 1-5, usually 3-5: fruit a capsule, rarely fleshy.

About 8 genera and 260 species are known, of which 200 are in the genus Hypericum, of the tropical and temperate regions throughout the world, but especially abundant in the north temperate zone. The family is very closely related to the Guttiferae, with which it is united by Engler and Prantl under the latter name; also related to the Ternstroemiaceae (Theaceae). The fascicles of stamens probably represent individual stamens, each of which has become divided into many. The opposite pellucid-dotted leaves, fascicled stamens, and 3-5-celled ovary with separate styles are characteristic.

The balsamic exudations from the bark and wood, especially of the shrubby species, were formerly used to some extent in medicine as an astringent.

The genera in cultivation in America for ornamental purposes are: Ascyrum (St. Andrew's Cross, St. Peter's-wort), and Hypericum (St. John's-wort). Some of the species are herbaceous and some are shrubby. Some of the Hypericums are very showy.

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