Hypericaceae A family containing about sixteen species in New York State, mostly herbs, some of them shrubs, chiefly with opposite leaves and yellow or rarely reddish flowers in terminal clusters. In many of them the foliage is pellucid-punctate or dotted. Flowers regular and perfect. Sepals four or five. Petals four or five. Stamens numerous or few, often in three or five sets.

Key to the New York State Species of the Saint John's-wort Family Sepals four, in unequal pairs; petals also four Stems erect, 1 to 2 feet high; leaves clasping, styles three to four...................

1 Ascyrum stans

Stems diffusely branched, 5 to 10 inches high; leaves sessile; styles two.............

2 Ascyrum hypericoides Sepals and petals usually five

Petals pink or greenish purple, imbricated in the bud; leaves sessile; capsules red-purple ....................................3 Triadenum virginicum

Petals yellow, convolute in the bud Leaves reduced to minute appressed scales ...4 Sarothra gentianoides Leaves normal Styles five, large perennials

Flowers 1 to 2 inches broad; capsules three-fourths of an inch long.....

5 Hypericum ascyron Flowers one-half to 1 inch broad; capsules about one-half of an inch long..........................6 Hypericum kalmianum

Styles three or rarely four

Tall leafy shrubs with numerous flowers

Flowers one-half to three-fourths of an inch broad; pods one-third to one-half of an inch long... 7 Hypericum prolificum

Flowers one-third to one-half of an inch broad; pods one-sixth to one-fourth of an inch long... 8 Hypericum densiflorum

Herbaceous perennials, or woody at the base only Stamens numerous (fifteen to forty); flowers one-fourth to 1 inch broad Capsules one-celled or incompletely three to four-celled

Capsules incompletely three to four-celled by the projecting placentae; leaves oblong......................

9 Hypericum adpressum Capsules strictly one-celled; placentae parietal; styles united into a beak, separate above; leaves elliptic......

10 Hypericum ellipticum Capsules completely three-celled; styles separate

Leaves linear or oblong; sepals lanceolate. Introduced from Europe.....11 Hypericum perforatum

Leaves broadly oblong, oval or ovate-lanceolate, native; sepals ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acute................

12 Hypericu m punctatum Stamens few (five to twelve); flowers one-tenth to one-fourth of an inch broad

Cyme leafy-bracted.........13 Hypericum boreale

Cymes subulate-bracted

Leaves ovate, oval or oblong; capsules one-twelfth to five-twelfths of an inch long.........................

14 Hypericummuti1um Leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate; capsule one-third to one-half of an inch long..........................

15 Hypericummajus

Leaves linear, blunt, three-nerved......................

16 Hypericum canadense