Taxonomy
Family: Hypericaceae
Synonymous with Hypericum virginicum L. var. fraseri (Spach) Fern.
Habitat
Bogs, marshes, moist calcareous sand, marly fens.
Associates
Distribution
Newfoundland and Quebec west to MN and IA, south to CT, NY, OH, northern IN, NE, and in mountains to WV and TN.
Morphology
Rhizomatous, glabrous perennial. Leaves sessile, opposite, ovate-oblong to elliptic, dotted with translucent glands and dark-spotted below. Flowers in terminal cymules; petals pink, 5; sepals 5, obtuse or rounded; ovary trilocular. Fruit ovoid or cylindric, 7-12 mm, rather abruptly narrow to the styles.
Notes
Flowers mid July to early September
Wetland indicator: Obligate
This species had me baffled for some time because I had never seen the flowers open. They seem to open for only a few hours of the day.
References
Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.
Michael Hough © 2005 |