Hypericum bifurcatum

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Hypericum bifurcatum

Description

Erect shrub (? or woody herb), ¼-1½ m, branches ± strict, rooting at the base; branchlets 2-lined when young, eventually terete. Leaves sessile, 7—13(—16) by 1½-6 mm, narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic-oblong, apex rounded, base cuneate to rounded, concolorous, plane, ascending or appressed; c. 7 main lateral veins, mostly from basal loops, ± parallel, little branched, uniting near margin and apex, without marked reticulate venation; laminar glands pale, linear, sometimes with rows of dots on either side, becoming ± interrupted towards margin; intramarginal glands pale only. Inflorescence 1-flowered, with strong flowering shoots in uppermost axils and often weaker ones in axils immediately below, the repeated branching producing an effect of bifurcation; pedicels equalling or exceeding uppermost leaves, 8-15 mm, long in fruit. Flowers l½-2½ cm Ø, plane; buds narrowly ovoid, rounded. Sepals 4-6 by 1½-2 mm, free, imbricate, ovate-lanceolate, subacute, entire; laminar glands pale, all or mostly linear; submarginal glands pale or reddish. Petals bright yellow, orange- or red-tinged below, 9-14 by 3-5 mm, obovate to oblanceolate, entire, persistent; apiculus absent or almost so; laminar glands pale, linear, sometimes interrupted distally; marginal glands absent or one, sessile, reddish, on apiculus. Stamens obscurely 3-fascicled, 25-35, longest 6-8 mm, c. ¾ as long as the petals, persistent; anthers bright yellow, gland black. Ovary 2 mm, ovoid; styles 3, 2 mm, equalling the ovary, divergent; stigmas narrowly capitate; placentas 3, parietal except at the very base. Capsule 6-9 by 3½-4½ mm, ± broadly to narrowly ovoid or ovoid-pyramidal, longitudinally vittate. Seeds yellow-brown, c. ¾ mm, cylindric to cylindric-ellipsoid, slightly carinate, densely linear-foveolate.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present, E. Highlands present, Morobe Distr present
Malesia: New Guinea (E. Highlands&Morobe Distr.). .

Notes

The pair of flowering shoots in each uppermost axil distinguishes H. bifurcatum from all other members of sect. Humifusoideum except some forms of H. papuanum in which, however, the leaf gland pattern differs and 4-5 styles often occur.