Bedstraw St. John's Wort is a perennial, flowering shrub, slender and branching, found in wet to moist habitats in the coastal plain of the southeastern United States from North Carolina south to Florida and west to Texas. In nature, it can often be seen in stream banks, swamps, river bottoms, floodplains, lake edges, wet pine forests, and ditches. It can reach 6 feet tall at maturity with a spreading habit and blooms in summer with yellow flowers. It requires a moist well-drained site in sun to partial shade although it tolerates dry soil. It can be used as a ground cover or in groupings near water features. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems : No known diseases or insect pests.
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
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect; Multi-stemmed; Spreading
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen; Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite; Whorled
Leaf shape
Oblanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Simple very narrow leaves; 2-edged stem. The leaves are 5 to 14 inches long and 1/4 inch across with mostly acute tips. Opposite or whorled, decussate, entire; sessile or petiole short.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Cyme
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Bright yellow flowers summer into early fall. The flowers are small, in terminal and axillary cymes, with very narrow sepals. Each flower is 1/2 inch in diameter. It flowers in the summer, between June and August. 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 color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Three to five celled capsule, sometimes fleshy. The fruits are 1/4 inch long and ovoid.
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
North Carolina south to Florica and west to Texas
Distribution
coastal plains
Wildlife value
Important food source for wildlife.
Attracts
Butterflies; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area; Pond; Riparian
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rain Garden; Water Garden