Hypericum montanum L.

Herbaceous perennial, woody stock, not rhizomatous, up to 1 m high. Stems erect, up to 3.3 mm diam., terete, without lines, black glands absent. Leaves 20.0–60.0 mm long, 8.0–25.0 mm wide, ovate, ovate-oblong or elliptic, glabrous above, puberulent below, reticulate tertiary veins absent; pellucid glands inconspicuous; black glands intramarginal and scattered on lamina; apex subacute; margin entire but with fine papillae; base more or less cordate or amplexicaul; sessile. Inflorescence terminal, flowers clustered toward apex, panicle of subcorymbose cymes, flowers many, corolla 15–23 mm diam. Pedicels 1.0–2.5 mm long. Bracteoles 4.0–8.5 mm long, 0.7–2.5 mm wide, lanceolate, margin with prominent black glandular teeth, apex subacute. Sepals 5, 5.0–9.5 mm long, 1.6–2.2 mm wide, equal, not accrescent, lanceolate-oblong; pellucid glands present, scarce; black glands present; apex acute; margin serrate, with prominent black glands. Petals c. 11.0 mm long, 2.5–3.0 mm wide, longer than sepals, oblong-obovate, pale yellow, black glands absent, persistent after anthesis. Stamens in 3 bundles, 29–36, 3.7–7.0 mm long, shorter than petals; anthers 0.5–0.6 mm long, anther gland black. Ovary 3.0–5.5 mm long, 1.8–3.5 mm wide, ovoid. Styles 3, 2.8–4.0 mm long, shorter than ovary. Fruit capsule, 6.0–8.5 mm long, 4.5–5.5 mm wide, ovoid, orange-brown. Seeds 0.7–1.0 mm long, c. 0.35 mm wide, oblong, terete, dark brown, apices obtuse or rounded.

Recognised by erect and terete stems that are not 2-lined, leaves with very short hairs on the leaf underside and black glands on the margin, sharply toothed sepals and bracts with large apical black glands on the tooth apex, and the anthers with a conspicuous black gland.

Occurs in bracken and scrub on the north bank of the Wairau River, Marlborough.

Healy (1972, p. 189). Voucher: CHR 70199, 1947.

Note: Smith (1904, p. 217) listed H. montanum as naturalised near Ashburton, and this was the basis of the first published record accepted by Sykes (1982) and Webb et al. (1988). This published record is not substantiated by a voucher and is therefore rejected.

Flowering: Dec.–Feb.