| |
|
|
|
|
Member Pages |
Aaron's beard is semi-evergreen shrublet that gets only about 1 ft (0.3 m) tall, but it spreads vigorously by branching underground stems (called runners or stolons), and quickly covers quite a large area. The leaves are arranged in pairs, opposite each other on the stems. They are 2-4 in (5.1-10.2 cm) long and elliptic to oval in shape, dark green above (yellowish green in shade grown plants), and paler, glaucus green below with conspicuous net veins. The flowers are bright yellow, 2-4 in (5.1-10.2 cm) across and borne singly or in clusters of two or three throughout the summer and fall. They have five spreading petals and a dense tuft of protruding yellow stamens that looks like an old fashioned shaving brush. At the peak of flowering, the pollen bearing tips of the stamens (the anthers) are red, as though the brush had been dipped in rouge. Hypericum 'Hidcote', one of the most popular St. John's worts, is believed to have resulted from the hybridization of H. calycinum and H. X cyathiflorum, itself a hybrid between two other European species. 'Hidcote' is a very showy shrub to 4 ft (25.4 m) tall, that produces an abundance of golden yellow flowers over a prolonged blooming season.
Hypericum calycinum is native to a region that stretches from Turkey to Bulgaria.
Culture
Aaron's beard makes a great groundcover because it tolerates poor, dry soils, thrives in the shade, even over tree roots, and spreads fast. As a ground cover it has few peers. Use it to control erosion on slopes, or to cover that bare ground under the big oak tree.
Features Formerly classified within the family Guttiferae, the genus is placed in the family Clusiaceae by some authors, and in the Hypericaceae by others. Take your pick.
Steve Christman 12/31/01; updated 5/29/04, 6/9/04, 6/11/06
|
NEW at Floridata
Plant Profiles:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Get link
WARNING
