''Hypericum balearicum'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family ''

Hypericaceae Hypericaceae is a plant family in the order Malpighiales, comprising six to nine genera and up to 700 species, and commonly known as the St. John's wort family. Members are found throughout the world apart from extremely cold or dry habitats. '' ...

, native to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...

. It is the only species in the section ''Psorophytum''.

Description

''Hypericum balearicum'' is a shrub or small tree tall, usually forming a rounded bush with erect or ascending branches. Its stems are glandular and warty, yellow-green when young, becoming reddish-brown as it ages. The leaves are sessile, up to long and broad. The leaves have rounded tips, undulate margins, and broadly cuneate to rounded bases. They are leathery, with prominent warty glands, and paler underneath. The flowers are across with 5 golden yellow petals (rarely pale yellow), rounded sepals, with involucre-like bracts. The petals are oblong with rounded tips, long, and across. Its warty stems and leaves and its involucre-like bracts distinguish it from other species of ''Hypericum''.

Distribution and habitat

''H. balearicum'' is confined to the Balearic Islands (

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...

, Cabrera, and

Dragonera Sa Dragonera () is an uninhabited islet in the Balearic Islands, Spain, located just off the west coast of Majorca. It is currently a natural park. Geography Geologically speaking, Dragonera is an emerged part of the geologic system running sou ...

). It is common on Mallorca but rare on the other islands. It has been introduced to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is found in dry woods and calcareous rocky habitats, from .

References

California Flora Nursery
* J.D. Curtis and N.R. Lersten, "Internal secretory structures in ''Hypericum'' (Hypericaceae): ''H. perforatum'' L. and ''H. balearicum'' L.", ''New Phytologist'', volume 114, issue 4, pages 571-580, April 28, 2006. {{Taxonbar, from=Q804885 balearicum Flora of the Balearic Islands Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus