St. Andrew's cross is a native semi-evergreen shrub in the St. John's wort (Hypericaceae) family. It is native to the Eastern USA, Mexico and Central America. In NC it can be found growing in the coastal plain in light sandy soils of prairies, open pine-hardwood and hardwood forests, thickets, grasslands, and bogs. This small shrub will grow 2-4 feet tall and 1-3 feet wide. It is a wildlife-friendly plant. St. Andrew's cross prefers average, moist to dry sandy or loamy soils in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptive to various conditions and is fairly drought-tolerant but not salt-tolerant. The small yellow flowers have 4 sepals that form an "x" and attract various pollinators. It has a fairly long bloom season during the summer. In warmer climates, it will bloom nearly all year. Use this plant in the native/pollinator garden or any naturalized area. It can also be planted at pond or stream margins in well-drained soils. Propagation is by seed or stem cuttings. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. Fairly short-lived.
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.
Often confused withHypericum hypericoides subsp. multicaule
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
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen; Deciduous
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Linear; Oblanceolate; Oblong
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf value
Long-lasting
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Small green leaves are linear to oblong-oblanceolate that are narrowed at their base and dotted with glands. They are sessile (no stems) and have entire margins.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Long Bloom Season
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Cross
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Flowers are usually 1 inch across or less, have 4 long narrow yellow sepals and several long stamens. They bloom from the upper leaf axils. Bloom time can be spring through fall depending on the climate. The sepals form an unequal "x"
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Oval capsules contain several seeds
Bark color
Dark Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Older stems have shredding bark
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Reddish brown smooth stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Distribution
Alabama, Arkansas, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, Delaware, District of Columbia, Dominican Republic, Florida, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia
Wildlife value
Bees and butterflies vist the flowers. Birds will eat the seeds.