''Hypericum canariense'' 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. '' ...

known by the common name Canary Islands St. John's wort. It is the sole member of ''Hypericum'' sect. ''Webbia''.

Etymology

Among its numerous aliases in Spanish are ''granadillo'', ''espanta demonios'', ''flor de cruz'', and ''leña de brujas''. In Finnish, the species is known as ''Kanariankuisma.'' Its

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''canariense'' is a reference to the populousness of ''H. canariense'' in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

. As such, its common names include Canary Islands St. John's wort or Canary Islands ''Hypericum''.

Distribution

It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

and

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

, where it grows in low-moisture scrub and forested slopes of the five westernmost islands from 150 to 800m. It is also known as an

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...

in Australia, New Zealand, and the US states of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, where it is an escaped

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

and generally considered a minor

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...

Habitat

''Hypericum canariense'' grows in clayey or sandy soils, as well as in loam. It is found along creeklines and roadsides. It is also prominent in dry scrub habitats and in mesic forests, often alongside ''

Globularia salicina ''Globularia salicina'' is a shrub native to the archipelago of Madeira and to the central and western Canary Islands. Description Erect shrub up to 2 m high with slender branches. Leaves 3.5-7 x 0.5–3 cm, alternate, narrowly to broadly ...

''.

Description

The species is a flowering shrub growing in height. Its many stems bear waxy lance-shaped leaves long. The plentiful flowers each have five bright to deep yellow petals each just over a centimeter long and many yellowish whiskery

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s. It reproduces via the seed in its

dehiscent Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...

dry fruits and also

vegetatively Vegetative reproduction (also known as vegetative propagation, vegetative multiplication or cloning) is any form of asexual reproduction occurring in plants in which a new plant grows from a fragment or cutting of the parent plant or spec ...

via

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

. The species is commonly misidentified as '' H. canadense'' or ''

Peritoma arborea ''Cleomella arborea'' syn. ''Peritoma arborea'' (formerly '' Isomeris arborea'', syn. '' Cleome isomeris''), is a perennial shrub or bush in the spiderflower family (Cleomaceae) known by the common names bladderpod, bladderpod spiderflower and bu ...

'' because of their similar flower structure and large stamens.

Varieties

The species has three accepted varieties: * ''H. canariense'' var. ''canariense'' * ''H. canariense'' var. ''floribundum'' (Dryand. ex Ait.) Bornm. * ''H. canariense'' var. ''platysepalum'' (Webb & Berth.) Ceb. & Ort.

References

External links

CalFlora Photo Gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5233274 canariense Endemic flora of the Canary Islands Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus