Hairy St John's-wort - Hypericum hirsutum
The only species of St John's-wort that has roughly hairy leaves and hairy stems and that does not grow in bogs. It is a medium to tall erect plant. The round section stem has two raised lines. The leaves have translucent dots but no marginal black glands. Flowers are pale yellow and sometimes red-veined borne in a lax many flowered panicle. The sepals are covered in tiny black spots.
Other St John's-worts. See ID Aids below.
H hirsutum is the only species with hairy stems and leaves that is recorded in VC55.
The St John's Wort (Hypericum) family are attractive, yellow-flowered perennials. They can look confusingly similar but can be distinguished by careful examination of key features. A hand-lens may be required (depending how good your eyesight is!). The leaf perforations are visible as translucent dots if the leaf is held up to the light.
A photograph of the plant in its habitat
Woodland, scrub and rough grassland and railway verges.
July and August.
Perennial
Widespread records from most of Britain except the north of Scotland and western England and Wales.
Fairly frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 108 of the 617 tetrads.
Lostash
Whetstone GCR Footpath
08 July 2013
Lostash
Whetstone GCR Footpath
08 July 2013
Graham Calow
Higham on the Hill
09 July 2015
Graham Calow
Fosse Meadows, Sharnford
10 July 2014
Graham Calow
Hinckley Lane, Wykin
04 July 2015
David Nicholls
Cloud Wood
24 June 2011
Graham Calow
Hinckley Lane, Wykin
04 July 2015
Graham Calow
Higham on the Hill
09 July 2015
Graham Calow
Fosse Meadows
21 May 2014
hairy stem
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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Species profile
- Common names
- Hairy St John's-wort, Hairy St. John's-Wort
- Species group:
- Wildflowers
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Malpighiales
- Family:
- Hypericaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 43
- First record:
- 24/06/2011 (Nicholls, David)
- Last record:
- 02/10/2023 (Smith, Peter)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
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