Posted on Aug 2, 2022 2:08 PMThe next member of this group I want to talk about is very similar to the last. In fact, the key that I posted before includes the next species. You may have noticed that in the last post the species name STANS was highlighted. This is a synonym for the accepted name, Hypericum crux-andreae-St. Peter's Wort.
The theme for common names of the four petal varieties seems to be religious in nature, what with Saint Andrew and Saint Peter.
Let's look at the key again:
https://garden.org/blogs/view/...
The thing that really stands out to me is the fact that not only are there 4 petals, but there are also 4 sepals. In this species the inner sepals are not obsolete. They are clearly visible, and are lanceolate in shape.
From the description in Radford:
"Outer sepals cordate or ovate, 6 -7 nerved, 10-18 mm long, 8-15 mm wide, acute or obtuse, inner sepals lanceolate, 6-15 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, acute to acuminate; petals 4, 10-18 mm long; styles usually 3 (2-4), separate, 1-2.5 mm long, ovary 1-locular."
The styles, or the place where the ovary receives the pollen for reproduction, are also evident if you look really close. You can see there is not a single style, rather it is composed of 3 or 4 "appendages" or divisions, not a single stalk. This is not easy to see (Unless you have really good eyesight or a good lens), and not nearly as evident and easy to make out as the size and shape of the sepals, and number of petals.
This one involved a little bit more information to figure out, and the next species get even harder. Plus, some get really small in size, which makes it even more difficult. I hope to see comments or stories of your own.
