星萼金丝桃 xing e jin si tao

Shrubs, 1-2.5 m tall, branches spreading to subpendulous, young shoots purplish red. Stems 4-lined and ancipitous when young, soon 2-lined, sometimes becoming terete; internodes 1-3.1 cm, shorter than leaves. Leaves with petiole 1-2 mm; blade oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 2-5.5 × 1-2.2 cm, thickly papery, abaxially paler or sometimes ± densely glaucous; laminar glands dots and short streaks; abaxial glands dense; main lateral veins 3- or 4-paired, without visible tertiary reticulation; base cuneate to rounded, apex acute to obtuse or rounded-apiculate. Inflorescence 1-14-flowered, from apical node, lax; branches slender; bracts deciduous, narrowly lanceolate. Pedicels 1-1.5 cm. Flowers 2.5-4 cm in diam., stellate to shallowly cupped; buds ± broadly ovoid, apex apiculate to shortly acuminate. Sepals widely spreading to subrecurved, equal, ± narrowly lanceolate, 0.8-1.3 cm × 2-5 mm; laminar glands lines, margin entire or apically minutely denticulate with reddish margin, apex acute. Petals golden yellow, sometimes tinged red, obovate, 1.2-2 × 0.8-1.4 cm, ca. 1.5 × as long as sepals; margin entire or distally minutely denticulate, eglandular; apiculus acute. Stamen fascicles each with 30-55 stamens, longest 1-1.3 cm, ca. 0.6 × as long as petals. Ovary ovoid-conic to ovoid, 4-6 × 3-4 mm; styles 6-9.5 mm, 1.2-1.5 × as long as ovary, free, usually flexuous and ± twisted. Capsule ovoid, 1-1.5 cm × 6-8 mm. Seeds dark red-brown, ca. 1.1 mm, not carinate; testa laxly reticulate. Fl. May-Jul, fr. Aug-Sep.

● On slopes, thickets; 800-1400 m. Chongqing (Chengkou).

Hypericum stellatum is closely related to H. lancasteri but can be recognized by the more spreading habit, the more slender inflorescence, and the relatively longer, flexuous styles.