Hypericum Calycinum Habitat

Description

• Hypericum calycinum is a variety of St. John's wort--one of hundreds of members of the hypericum family. A deciduous shrub, it grows to a square shape, about 18 inches in height and width. It keeps its leaves in warm climates, but dies back to the ground in colder ones in winter, growing anew in the spring.

Habitat

• This member of the Hypericum family is a native of southern Europe and southwestern Asia. It grows widely throughout the region since it accepts a wide range of soil types including sand, while preferring average, well-drained earth. Hypericum calycinum likes full sun but will also grow in shade, although it will produce fewer flowers there.

Reproduction

• This St. John's wort bears yellow flowers that resemble wild roses, five-petaled and several inches in diameter. The flowers appear singly or in groups of two to three. They bloom from July through August, and in ancient Rome and Greece they were thrown into the fires of summer solstice festivals. The plant reproduces from flower seeds or underground stems and thrives in the wild or cultivated with little water or maintenance.

Uses

• Herbalists and mystics assign many healing properties to St. John's wort plants. The name of the family--hypericum--is derived from Greek words meaning "power over evil" and native Americans included it in their religious ceremonies. More mundanely, because of the plant's ready adaptation to different habitats, gardeners use Hypericum calycinum for ground cover and rock gardens and to stabilize hillsides.

Threats

• This hardy shrub has no insect problem that endangers its existence. It is also free of most serious plant diseases. On the other hand, it has proved invasive and its rapid growth can endanger native plants.