Common St. Johnswort, Hypericum perforatum L., Great St. Johnswort, Hypericum ascyron, Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Common St. Johnswort & Great St. Johnswort	Hypericum perforatum L. & Hypericum ascyron L.	Clusiaceae (Mangosteen)	Upland	Early Summer to Early Autumn
Other names and notes	There are a great number of St. Johnsworts in the genus Hypericum. The flowers are generally yellow and in terminal clusters. The Common St. Johnswort is an introduced plant that has very narrow oblong leaves, golden yellow flower petals with spotted margins. Flowers are about one inch wide, the plant up to 3 feet high. Flowers appear in branched clusters. It can spread rapidly and can be noxious in pasture areas and thus it is listed as a noxious weed by a number of states that have large grazing lands such as Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming and Montana among others. Great St. Johnswort is an erect native plant that can reach to 5 feet in height with flowering branches near the top. Flowers can be from 1.5 to 2.3" wide and appear usually solitary at the ends of branches. Leaves are large and either stalkless or clasping. (Photos below). Some references will assign this plant to Hypericum pyramidatum Aiton. in the family Hypericaceae.

*Common St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum* L. )**

Common St. Johnswort: Blooms begin in early July. Below left - one of the last blooms of late August, but depending on the year, may bloom even later. Below right - the small leaves.

*Photos below: Great St. Johnswort (Hypericum ascyron* L.)**

Above: The tall robust erect plant. Photo ©Rick Dunbar, USDA-NRCS Plants Database	Above: The larger flowers of Great St. Johnswort. Photo ©Merel R. Black, Freckmann Herbarium, University of Wisconsin, Steven’s Point
Below: The large stalkless leaves of Great St. Johnswort.	Below: Great St. Johnswort as flowering ends and seed capsules form.

Notes: Common St. Johnswort - Eloise Butler's records show that she obtained plants of this species on April 4, 1912, on April 4, 1913, on April 28, 1916 and on April 2, 1925, all from Malden, Massachusetts. This was Eloise's hometown where her sister, Cora Butler Pease, lived and to where Eloise would return in the late Fall. She either collected these herself, or Cora did, and then had them shipped to her in Minneapolis. There are seven known species of St. Johnswort in Minnesota, the "Common" is not native, but introduced into the United States and to Minnesota, and is found most often in scattered counties in the eastern section of the state. There are very few states or lower Canadian Provinces where it is not found. Great St. Johnswort is native and found in the eastern section of Minnesota, particularly counties of the SE Quadrant. Eloise Butler's records show that she planted this species in 1908, 1908 and 1909 - obtained from Minnesota sources. Martha Crone reported planting it in 1933 and 1934. It was listed on her Garden Census of 1951 and presumably has been in the Garden for all these years.

Eloise Butler wrote of Great St. Johnswort: "One of our finest native, yellow flowered plants is the Great St. Johnswort, Hypericum ascyron. It may be seen in rich lowland about Minnehaha. It is tall and sturdy, a profuse bloomer and interesting in bud and in fruit. The multiplicity of the stamens gives a light-some grace to the flowers of this family. The flower of this species is large, measuring some three inches across. The petals, when aging, roll up lengthwise, forming a spidery appearance, which adds variety to the inflorescence, together with the striking buds and seedpods. We can but wonder that with all its merits this plant has not been seized upon for cultivation. In the wild garden in Glenwood Park, it is well established in two colonies." Published July 23, 1911 Minneapolis Sunday Tribune.

Lore: H. perforatum has a long history as a medicinal ingredient and is available as an over-the-counter herbal supplement today to help with numerous maladies. The medicinal parts are the plant tops and flowers. Less well known is that a small quantity added to bread flour is said to improve the quality of bread.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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