St. John's Wort is native to SE USA and in NC it is found in the western mountain areas. It is a small, dense shrub that grows 2-4 feet tall and wide with a rounded dense form. It inhabits glades and dry limestone ledges. The foliage may appear slightly bluish-green and is evergreen in its southern range. The showy yellow flowers are bright yellow with numerous stamens on new wood and appear in June-July. This plant prefers rich sandy loams in full sun to partial shade but is adaptable to other soils if well-drained. Use as a hedge, foundations or in small groups. Attracts pollinators. Family name Hypericaceae (Guttifereae) Quick ID Hints : Stems 2-4 ridged on newer growth Leaves paired or whorled, sessile or short-stalked 5-petaled yellow flowers with numerous stamens
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Mounding
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen; Deciduous
Leaf color
Blue; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite; Whorled
Leaf shape
Linear; Oblanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
1-3 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Linear to oblanceolate up to 3" long. Opposite or whorled, decussate, simple, entire; sessile or petiole short.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Five-petaled with bushy, dense stamens. Solitary or cymose, terminal or axillary. Yellow (usually) 5-petaled (rarely 4), 5 sepals (rarely 4); stamens numerous, in bundles or in showy boss.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
A (2)3-5 celled oval capsule, sometimes fleshy.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Reddish-brown exfoliating bark on mature shrubs
Stem color
Blue; Green
Stem detail
Contain 2 to 4(up to 6) ridges on newer growth, smooth and rounded on older growth.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
South East U.S.A. to Texas
Distribution
AL, CT, FL, GA, IN, KY, LA, MA, MS, NC, NY, SC, TN, TX, VA