About Hypericum hypericoides (L.) Crantz
Hypericum hypericoides, commonly known as St. Andrew's cross, is a flowering plant species belonging to the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is native to the Southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. It grows best in dry woods with acidic soil. It is a small shrub or shrublet that bears yellow flowers that each have four petals. Mature individuals reach a height of 3 to 10 decimeters, which is approximately 1 to 3.3 feet. Its leaves can be linear, elliptic, or oblanceolate in shape, and measure 8 to 26 millimeters in length. Some classifications recognize two subspecies: H. hypericoides subsp. hypericoides and H. hypericoides subsp. multicaule. Most current classifications treat the second taxon as a separate species, Hypericum stragulum, instead of a subspecies of Hypericum hypericoides.
