Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Scouler's St. Johnswort
Hypericum scouleri
St. John's-Wort family (Hypericaceae)

This slim and unobtrusive plant, often hidden in the lushness of wet areas, is most easily found when it is in bloom, for the flowers are very bright. Petal edges are often dotted in black. Numerous are upright in freshly opened flowers but relax into a lovely starburst as the flower ages. Leaves are short and . This is a close relative of the weed (and widely sold supplement which is a supposed mood enhancer), Hypericum perforatum which has caused massive agricultural damage and in the past few decades has severely invaded Colorado. H. perforatum also has been the subject of a number of National Institutes of Health studies revealing its dangerous affects on human health. Linnaeus gave the name "Hypericum" which is the ancient Greek name for the plant. The specific epithet "scouleri" was given by Hooker in 1831 from a specimen collected by J. Scouleri.


©2009 Barry Breckling

Description

Erect , with horizontal rootstocks; herbage . Stems to 2' tall, occasionally branched above. Leaves to just over 1" long, oval or . Flowers few to many in branching clusters. dotted. Petals to 1/2" long. numerous, with black at tip. a .

Field Marks

Slender wetlands plant with small leaves and large very bright yellow flowers with numerous long protruding.

© Al Schneider

stamen -- the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower; The stamen consists of an anther supported by a filament.

A perennial plant lives and blooms for many years.

A noxious weed is considered to be harmful to the environment or animals. Often a governing body designates plants as noxious.

A herb is a plant whose stems die back to the ground in the winter.

Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom.

Glands are plant structures that secrete liquids, salts or other substances. Glands often appear as hairs with a drop of liquid at the end.

capsule -- a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. In most cases the capsule splits apart to release seeds.

fruit -- any seed-bearing structure in flowering plants. It is formed from the ovary after flowering.

In an opposite leaf arrangement the leaves come in pairs with one leaf on each side of a stem.

elliptic -- Oval, with no point or a very short point.

genus -- A subdivision of a botanical Family in which all members have a significant number of similar characteristics.

The anther is a pad at the end of the stamen that holds the pollen.