Perforate St. John's Wort

Hypericum perforatum

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.
For more information please download the BSBI Code of Conduct PDF document.

Plant Data

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Order:

Malpighiales

Family:

Hypericaceae (St. John's Wort)

Also in this family:

Hairy St. John's Wort, Pale St. John's Wort, Rose of Sharon, Slender St. John's Wort, Square-stalked St. John's Wort, Tutsan

Type:

Flower

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Maximum Size:

80 centimetres tall

Habitats:

Grassland, hedgerows, meadows, roadsides, wasteland, wetland, woodland.

Flower:

Yellow, 5 petals

5-petalled golden yellow flowers with black dots on petals and sepals upon close examination. Sepals are pointed.

Fruit:

A 3-chambered, dry, ovate seed capsule, up to 6mm in size. The capsule opens lengthwise to release its black and shiny seeds.

Leaves:

Simple, untoothed leaves. Leaves are small, oval to lanceolate, almost clasping the stems. The leaves are in opposite pairs along the stems and are covered in numerous translucent dots.

Aroma:

Smells resinous, similar to turpentine.

Other Names:

Amber, Cammock, Chase-Devil, Common Goatweed, Common St John's Wort, Demon Chaser, Devil Chaser, Devil's Flight, Devil's Scourge, Goatsbeard, God's Wonder Plant, Grace of God, Hardhay, Herb John, Human Blood, Klamathweed, Oil of Jesus, Penny John, Racecourse Weed, Rosin Rose, Rosin Rose, Spotted St John's Wort, St Columba's Flower, Tipton Weed, Touch-and-heal.

Frequency (UK):

Common

Distribution Map

Reproduced by kind permission of the BSBI.

Click to open an Interactive Map