College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources

Plant Database

Hypericum prolificum

Shrubby St. Johnswort

Hypericaceae

Shrubby St. JohnswortShrubby St. JohnswortShrubby St. Johnswort
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Habitat

  • native from New Jersey to Iowa
  • hardy to zone 4
  • Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. For more information, .

Habit and Form

  • a small, deciduous shrub
  • 1' to 4' tall with an equal spread
  • dense, rounded form
  • medium texture
  • slow growth rate

Summer Foliage

  • opposite leaf arrangement
  • simple, deciduous leaves
  • narrow, linear leaves
  • 1" to 3" long
  • dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

  • no fall color

Flowers

  • bright yellow flowers
  • 1" in diameter
  • blooms through the summer
  • borne in cymes
  • showy

Fruit

  • 3-valved dehiscent capsule
  • persistent
  • brown

Bark

  • light brown
  • older bark is exfoliating

Culture

  • transplant from container
  • does well in dry soils
  • full sun
  • pH adaptable
  • prune in early spring

Landscape Use

  • for yellow flowers
  • shrub border
  • rock garden
  • groups and massing

Liabilities

  • wilts

ID Features

  • opposite leaf arrangement
  • small deciduous shrub
  • small linear leaves
  • bright yellow flowers
  • persistent capsule fruit

Propagation

  • by cuttings
  • by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

  • few

© Copyright Mark H. Brand, 1997-2015.

The digital materials (images and text) available from the UConn Plant Database are protected by copyright. Public use via the Internet for non-profit and educational purposes is permitted. Use of the materials for profit is prohibited.

Citation and Acknowledgements: University of Connecticut Plant Database, https://plantdatabase.uconn.edu/, Mark H. Brand, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, Storrs, CT 06269-4067 USA.