Hypericum sp.

Reported is a germinated example of Hypericum sp. like calycinum (Rose-of-Sharon, St John's Wort) germinated from wild seeds collected from a un-cultivated semi-woodland area in Walsall, UK. This is classically a prostrate or low-growing, evergreen, woody shrub (60cm in height, 1.2m spread) widely grown in Mediterranean climates and southeast Europe, but has also become a popular, evergreen hardy shrub globally. In the wild, it grows in the Strandja Mountains along the Bulgarian and Turkish Black Sea coast. It is a fast-growing, spreading groundcover shrub with evergreen to semi-evergreen long, oval-shaped dark-green sticky leaves. Bright rose-like yellow, five petalled flowers with a prominent calyx and whorl of sepals, bloom throughout summer-autumn. The flowers produced in June-September in UK, are 3–5 cm in diameter with numerous yellow stamens, and are either single or in clusters of 2-3. Its red berries turn black in autumn. Its green, ovate leaves grow in opposite pairs, with the undersides of the leaves been net-veined. In the sun and shade, the leaves are a vibrant green and lighter yellow-green, respectively. Hypericum spp. have been used since ancient times as herbal remedies to attenuate muscle spasms and for the treatment of asthma. It is an economically valuable plant and may be used used for ornamental reasons or landscaping in order to stabilize hills. It grows ideally in full sun to partial shade and in well-drained sandy-loamy soils. It may become invasive, due to its ability to grow rapidly by stolons and, therefore, needs pruning. It is pollinated by honey bees. It can produce adhyperforin, a medicinal compound. Furthermore, UV pigments from its flowers stave off predators like mites and aphids. These pigments also serve a dual function to attract pollinators, as they are visible to insects and not humans. Another chemical, DIP (dearomatized isoprenylated phloroglucinols), is a category of pigments alongside flavonoids, which was found to be toxic to a species of caterpillar. Ethanol-extracts have antidepressant properties and are as effective as desipramine and trimipramine.

Posted on June 27, 2024 08:29 AM by rgcooper2023