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Photographer: Rob Baller
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Family Hypericaceae
Hypericum sphaerocarpum Michx.
round-fruited St. John's-wort, round-seeded St. John's-wort
Hypericum: ancient Greek name derived from hyper, "above," and eikon, "picture," from old practice of placing flowers above an image in the house to ward off evil spirits at the midsummer festival of Walpurgisnacht, which later became feast of St. John
sphaerocarpum: from the Greek meaning "spherical seed"
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| Status: | Threatened |
| Plant: | erect, perennial, 12"-28" tall forb; stems clustered, somewhat woody toward the bottom |
| Flower: | yellow, 5-parted, 1/3" -3/4" wide; inflorescence a compact, many-branched cluster (cyme) of stalked flowers; blooms June-Aug. |
| Fruit: | round to oval capsule with 1 chamber |
| Leaf: | linear to oblong, tapering toward the stem |
| Habitat: | dry; upland, woods, prairies, barrens |
| (Glossary) |
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