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Photo by: Gary Fewless
Location: Brown Co., WI
Date taken: June 29, 2001
Camera: Olympus CL 2500L digital camera
St Johns wort (Hypericum perforatum)
Click on image to see more photos showing plant structure -- 77K
St Johns wort (Hypericum
perforatum), also known as Goatweed, is one of the summer flowers
blooming now in the Arboretum. Folklore suggests that it always bloom
around June 24 in commemoration of the solstice and the death of St. John
the Baptist. The bright yellow flowers are about 2 inches across and often
have black dots on the edges. The
flowers cluster together near the top of the plants that grow
1 to 3 feet tall. St Johns wort is a perennial plant introduced from
Europe and is listed as a non-native potential problem species by the
DNR. It reproduces from seed and from underground rhizomes. It is common
in fields and along roadsides.
Although the leaves of St. John's wort contain a
toxin, which causes photosensitization in some insects and white-faced cattle
that eat them, its purported medicinal properties are derived from chemicals
contained in the dark spots that rim the
edges of the flowers. The plant has been used to treat various aliments
since ancient times and has been written about by many including the famous
Greek healer Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.).
For more information try these web pages:
WI
DNR State Invasive Plant List: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/invasive/manuallist.htm
St.
Johns wort invasion Australia: http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/programs/app/weeds/stjohnswort.htm
Folklore and herbal
history of St. Johns wort: http://www.efn.org/~coletteg/stjohns.html
Contributed by Vicki Medland
Biodiversity Topics: Introduction . Plants . Animals . Mammals . Birds . Reptiles & Amphibians . Arthropods . Spiders . Insects
© 2001-2004 The Cofrin Center
for Biodiversity and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay,
All Rights Reserved
Last
updated on
March 26, 2008