Hypericum inodorum
Tall tutsan
Family HypericaceaeAlso called Tall St John's wort
About
Tall tutsan is a fertile hybrid of H. androsaemum and H. hircinum, a bushy shrub with golden flowers and berries that change colour as they ripen. Many cultivars are grown in gardens.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Light
- Tolerates full sun to heavy shade.
- Water
- Drought resistant.
- Soil
- Tolerates a range of soils, pH at least 6.0–8.0.
- Mature size
- 0.6–2 m tall, 0.9–1.5 m wide.
Field notes
Morphology
Grows 0.6–2 m tall and 0.9–1.5 m wide with upright stems and scaly bark. Stalkless leaves 3.5–11 cm long are oval-lance to broadly egg-shaped. Clusters of golden flowers with long stamens are followed by red fruit.
Distribution & habitat
Native to France, Italy and Spain; introduced to the UK, Ireland, Chile, Java, Madeira, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland.
Cultivation notes
A hardy ornamental tolerant of sun or heavy shade, drought, and soil pH of at least 6.0–8.0. 'Elstead' has berries that turn white to pinkish-red; 'Golden Beacon' holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit for its gold foliage and disease resistance.
History & etymology
Known since 1789. Its origin was long confused; William Aiton thought it North American until its Old World status was settled in 1886. Philip Miller named it inodorum, "without odour".
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- France, Italy, Spain
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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