Species: Hypericum perforatum http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/hypper/all.html SPECIES: Hypericum perforatum Choose from the following categories of information. Introductory Distribution and occurrence Botanical and ecological characteristics Fire ecology Fire effects Management considerations References INTRODUCTORY SPECIES: Hypericum perforatum AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION FEIS ABBREVIATION SYNONYMS NRCS PLANT CODE COMMON NAMES TAXONOMY LIFE FORM FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS OTHER STATUS ©Barry A. Rice/The Nature Conservancy AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION: Zouhar, Kris. 2004. Hypericum perforatum. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [2007, September 24]. FEIS ABBREVIATION: HYPPER SYNONYMS: None NRCS PLANT CODE [182]: HYPE COMMON NAMES: common St Johnswort 1 of 68 9/24/2007 4:30 PM Species: Hypericum perforatum http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/hypper/all.html goatweed Klamath weed TAXONOMY: The currently accepted name for common St Johnswort is Hypericum perforatum L. It is a member of the mangosteen or St Johnswort family (Clusiaceae) [67,69,98,99,100,199]. Some authors treat the St Johnswort family (Hypericaceae) separately (e.g. [89,90,109,127,145,152,193]). Other authors use the family name Guttiferae (e.g. [168,187]). The Flora Europaea recognizes several varieties and hybrids of Hypericum perforatum in Europe [173]. Earlier treatments identify the variety Hypericum perforatum var. angustifolia in Australia [34]. It is also suggested that varying characteristics in St Johnswort simply represent a variable taxon, and no classification at the varietal level is recommended [35]. No hybrids are known to occur in Australia [34] or North America [45]. LIFE FORM: Forb FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS: None OTHER STATUS: St Johnswort is designated a noxious weed in 7 states in the U.S. and 2 Canadian provinces [183]. It is also designated a "regulated nonnative plant species" in South Dakota. See the Plants, or APHIS, or Invaders databases for more information. St Johnswort is considered a "lesser threat" by the Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council. This designation applies to nonnative plant species which seem to "principally spread and remain in disturbed corridors, not readily invading natural areas" [101]. In Tennessee, St Johnswort is on "Watch List A", which includes nonnative plants for which little information is available and that may become a problem in the future [161]. DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE SPECIES: Hypericum perforatum GENERAL DISTRIBUTION ECOSYSTEMS STATES/PROVINCES BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS SAF COVER TYPES SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES GENERAL DISTRIBUTION: St Johnswort is native to Europe, western Asia, and North Africa, and is now widely distributed through the temperate areas of the world including parts of South America, India, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. St Johnswort is considered a weed in much of its native range, particularly in Turkey, Italy, France, Hungary, and Sweden, mainly in poor pastures, neglected areas, and occasionally in crops [139]. Its wide distribution may in part be attributed to its cultivation as a medicinal or garden plant [45]. 2 of 68 9/24/2007 4:30 PM Species: Hypericum perforatum http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/hypper/all.html In Canada, St Johnswort is found mostly in the eastern provinces and British Columbia, and is absent in the prairie region [45,99]. In the U.S., St Johnswort is distributed from Minnesota south to central Texas, east to the Atlantic Coast, and west to the northern Pacific coaSt Plants database provides a state distribution map of St Johnswort. St Johnswort was likely introduced to North America multiple times [121]. According to Sampson and Parker [154], who review its history of introduction in North America, the 1st recorded occurrence of St Johnswort in North America was from Pennsylvania in 1793. St Johnswort was established in many western states by the early 1900s. The majority of St Johnswort infestations at that time occurred in 2 regions: the western coastal region, including northern California, western Oregon, and western Washington; and the Interior West, including northeastern Oregon, eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and northwestern Montana [78,142]. By 1945, St Johnswort infested about 2.5 million acres (1 million ha) in California, and about 1.2 million acres (500,000 ha) in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington [177]. In central North America, St Johnswort never reached the densities observed in the West, likely because cropland habitat is not ideal for St Johnswort [121]. St Johnswort population levels were dramatically reduced following a successful biological control program begun more than 50 years ago in heavily infested regions in the western U.S. [93,177]. According to Piper [143], in other areas many St Johnswort populations are still increasing in size, even where biological control organisms are present, while others have remained relatively static. A reliable published estimate of the amount of land presently infested by St Johnswort is not available [143]. Additionally, whether biocontrol in the West is currently as efficacious as it was initially is not well documented [121]. The following lists include vegetation types in which St Johnswort is known to be or thought to be potentially invasive, based on reported occurrence and biological tolerances to site conditions. Some habitats that may be invaded by St Johnswort following soil and/or vegetation disturbances are also included. Precise distribution information is limited, especially in central and eastern North America; therefore, these lists may not be exhaustive. ECOSYSTEMS [66]: FRES10 White-red-jack pine FRES11 Spruce-fir FRES14 Oak-pine FRES15 Oak-hickory FRES17 Elm-ash-cottonwood FRES18 Maple-beech-birch FRES19 Aspen-birch FRES20 Douglas-fir FRES21 Ponderosa pine FRES22 Western white pine FRES23 Fir-spruce FRES24 Hemlock-Sitka spruce FRES25 Larch FRES26 Lodgepole pine FRES27 Redwood FRES28 Western hardwoods FRES29 Sagebrush FRES34 Chaparral-mountain shrub FRES35 Pinyon-juniper FRES36 Mountain grasslands FRES37 Mountain meadows FRES38 Plains grasslands FRES39 Prairie 3 of 68 9/24/2007 4:30 PM Species: Hypericum perforatum http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/hypper/all.html FRES41 Wet grasslands FRES42 Annual grasslands STATES/PROVINCES: (key to state/province abbreviations) UNITED STATES AR CA CO CT DE GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX VT VA WA WV WI WY DC CANADA BC NB NF NS ON PE PQ BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS [14]: 1 Northern Pacific Border 2 Cascade Mountains 3 Southern Pacific Border 4 Sierra Mountains 5 Columbia Plateau 6 Upper Basin and Range 8 Northern Rocky Mountains 9 Middle Rocky Mountains 10 Wyoming Basin 11 Southern Rocky Mountains 13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont 14 Great Plains 15 Black Hills Uplift 16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands KUCHLER [107] PLANT ASSOCIATIONS: K001 Spruce-cedar-hemlock forest K002 Cedar-hemlock-Douglas-fir forest K003 Silver fir-Douglas-fir forest K004 Fir-hemlock forest K005 Mixed conifer forest K006 Redwood forest K009 Pine-cypress forest K010 Ponderosa shrub forest K011 Western ponderosa forest K012 Douglas-fir forest K013 Cedar-hemlock-pine forest K014 Grand fir-Douglas-fir forest K016 Eastern ponderosa forest K017 Black Hills pine forest K018 Pine-Douglas-fir forest K023 Juniper-pinyon woodland K024 Juniper steppe woodland K025 Alder-ash forest 4 of 68 9/24/2007 4:30 PM Species: Hypericum perforatum http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/hypper/all.html K026 Oregon oakwoods K028 Mosaic of K002 and K026 K029 California mixed evergreen forest K030 California oakwoods K033 Chaparral K034 Montane chaparral K035 Coastal sagebrush K036 Mosaic of K030 and K035 K047 Fescue-oatgrass K048 California steppe K050 Fescue-wheatgrass K051 Wheatgrass-bluegrass K055 Sagebrush steppe K056 Wheatgrass-needlegrass shrubsteppe K063 Foothills prairie K073 Northern cordgrass prairie K074 Bluestem prairie K082 Mosaic of K074 and K100 K093 Great Lakes spruce-fir forest K095 Great Lakes pine forest K098 Northern floodplain forest K099 Maple-basswood forest K100 Oak-hickory forest K101 Elm-ash forest K102 Beech-maple forest K103 Mixed mesophytic forest K104 Appalachian oak forest K106 Northern hardwoods K109 Transition between K104 and K106 K111 Oak-hickory-pine K112 Southern mixed forest SAF COVER TYPES [59]: 5 Balsam fir 14 Northern pin oak 16 Aspen 17 Pin cherry 18 Paper birch 19 Gray birch-red maple 20 White pine-northern red oak-red maple 21 Eastern white pine 25 Sugar maple-beech-yellow birch 26 Sugar maple-basswood 27 Sugar maple 28 Black cherry-maple 37 Northern white-cedar 39 Black ash-American elm-red maple 46 Eastern redcedar 50 Black locust 52 White oak-black oak-northern red oak 53 White oak 5 of 68 9/24/2007 4:30 PM Species: Hypericum perforatum http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/hypper/all.html 55 Northern red oak 60 Beech-sugar maple 63 Cottonwood 107 White spruce 108 Red maple 109 Hawthorn 110 Black oak 210 Interior Douglas-fir 212 Western larch 213 Grand fir 215 Western white pine 217 Aspen 218 Lodgepole pine 220 Rocky Mountain juniper 221 Red alder 222 Black cottonwood-willow 223 Sitka spruce 224 Western hemlock 225 Western hemlock-Sitka spruce 226 Coastal true fir-hemlock 227 Western