CLUSIACEAE – MANGOSTEEN OR SAINT JOHNSWORT FAMILY
Plant: herbs or shrubs, sometimes woody vines or trees Stem: sometimes with rhizomes Root: Leaves: simple, usually entire, opposite or whorled; lots of internal glands; no stipules Flowers: perfect in NA species, mostly regular (actinomorphic); mostly yellow or rarely orange flowers in branched clusters; 4 or 5 separate sepals, often unequal in NA; petals = sepals; 5 to many stamens, rarely only a few, tending to be cyclic, often fused into bunches at base in NA species; ovary superior), 1- 3-5 or 7 carpels and styles, ovules many Fruit: capsule or berry, many seeds Other: also known as Guttiferae; Dicotyledons Group Genera: 50+ genera; locally Hypericum (St. Johnswort), Triadenum (Marsh St. Johnswort)
WARNING – family descriptions are only a layman’s guide and should not be used as definitive Flower Morphology in the Clusiaceae (Mangosteen or Saint Johnswort Family) Both flowers and fruits are helpful in ID Examples of common genera
Orangegrass Common St. Johnswort Hypericum gentianoides (L.) B.S.P. Hypericum perforatum L. (Introduced)
St. Andrew's Cross Roundseed [Round-Fruited] St. Johnswort Hypericum hypericoides (L.) Crantz Hypericum sphaerocarpum Michx. ssp. multicaule (Michx. ex Willd.) N. Clusiaceae (Mangosteen Family) Robson CLUSIACEAE – MANGOSTEEN OR SAINT JOHN’SWORT FAMILY
Lesser (Small-Flowered) Canadian St. Johnswort; Hypericum canadense L. Orangegrass; Hypericum gentianoides (L.) B.S.P. St. Andrew's Cross; Hypericum hypericoides (L.) Crantz ssp. multicaule (Michx. ex Willd.) N. Robson Kalm's St. Johnswort; Hypericum kalmianum L. Dwarf [Small Flowered] St. Johnswort; Hypericum mutilum L. Common St. Johnswort; Hypericum perforatum L. (Introduced) Shrubby St. Johnswort; Hypericum prolificum L. Spotted St. Johnswort; Hypericum punctatum Lam. Roundseed [Round-Fruited] St. Johnswort; Hypericum sphaerocarpum Michx. Lesser (Small-Flowered) Canadian USDA St. Johnswort Hypericum canadense L. Clusiaceae (Mangosteen Family) Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: 5-petaled flower, yellow, 12-20+ stamens, sepals long; leaves opposite, entire, 1-3 veined, elliptical and tapering to base; fruit red, narrows at top; summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2007] Orangegrass USDA Hypericum gentianoides (L.) B.S.P. Clusiaceae (Mangosteen Family) Kitty Todd Nature Preserve, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: 5-petaled flower, yellow; leaves appressed to stem, awl-shaped (looks to be no leaves); sandy soils; summer to fall [V Max Brown, 2007] St. Andrew's Cross USDA Hypericum hypericoides (L.) Crantz ssp. multicaule (Michx. ex Willd.) N. Robson Clusiaceae (Mangosteen Family) State Hwy 19, north Oregon County, Missouri Notes: low shrub; 4-petaled flower (in 2 pairs), pale yellow, usually solitary at branch tip; leaf ovate; bark scaly, often ridged below leaf insertion; plant erect and spreading; summer to fall [V Max Brown, 2007] Kalm's St. Johnswort USDA Hypericum kalmianum L. Clusiaceae (Mangosteen Family) Kitty Todd Nature Preserve, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: shrubby; 5-petaled flower, yellow, many stamens, flowers cluster above leaves, sepals with rounded tip; leaves elliptical; plant usually less than 3 dm; summer to fall [V Max Brown, 2007] Dwarf [Small Flowered] St. Johnswort USDA Hypericum mutilum L. Clusiaceae (Mangosteen Family) Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge, White County, Arkansas Notes: 5-petaled flower, yellow, small, no black dots, <20 stamens, sepals (5) linear to lanceolate; leaves elliptical, ovate to lanceolate, tip usually somewhat rounded or broadly pointed, somewhat clasping the stem; summer to fall [V Max Brown, 2007] Common St. Johnswort USDA Hypericum perforatum L. (Introduced) Clusiaceae (Mangosteen Family) Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: 5-petaled flower, many flowered, yellow, with small black dots on margins of petals, many stamens, styles separate; leaves oblong to elliptical; numerous leafy branches, very common; summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2005] Shrubby St. Johnswort USDA Hypericum prolificum L. Clusiaceae (Mangosteen Family) Sam A. Baker State Park, Wayne County, Missouri Notes: shrub, densely branched; 5-petaled yellow flowers, mostly 3 styles, at end of branches and in upper leaf axils; leaves linear-oblong to lanceolate, articulate (distinct line on stem where leaf attaches); tall bushy plant or shrub, stem mostly woody; summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2006] Spotted St. Johnswort USDA Hypericum punctatum Lam. Clusiaceae (Mangosteen Family) Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: 5-petaled flower, yellow, with small black dots scattered on both top and bottom of petal and older leaves, many stamens; leaves > 5 cm in length, oblong and rounded at tip, not sessile; summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2005] Roundseed [Round- USDA Fruited] St. Johnswort Hypericum sphaerocarpum Michx. Clusiaceae (Mangosteen Family) Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area, Taney and Stone County, Missouri Notes: 5-petaled flower, yellow, many stamens, sepal edges often curled; leaves opposite, oblong and rounded to somewhat tapered tip, sessile, green above, pale below, mature leaf edges curled under; stem woody toward base; fruit shaped like a flask (3-ridged);short weedy plants in poor areas; summer to early fall [V Max Brown, 2010]