Hypericum canariense
Canary Islands St. John's wort
Family Hypericaceae
About
A flowering shrub endemic to the Canary Islands and Madeira, and the only species in Hypericum sect. Webbia. It has escaped from gardens in several countries.
Field notes
Morphology
A shrub 2–3 m tall with many stems and waxy, lance-shaped leaves 5–7 cm long. Plentiful flowers have five bright yellow petals just over 1 cm long and many whiskery stamens. Spreads by seed and by rhizome.
Distribution & habitat
Dry scrub and forested slopes at 150–800 m on the five westernmost Canary Islands and Madeira. Introduced to Australia, New Zealand, California and Hawaii.
Ecology
Often misidentified as H. canadense or Cleomella arborea because of similar flowers.
History & etymology
Spanish names include granadillo, espanta demonios, flor de cruz and leña de brujas.
Conservation
Where introduced it is an escaped ornamental and generally regarded as a minor noxious weed.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Spain, Portugal
- IUCN status
- Least concern
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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