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Hypericum choisianum Wall. ex N. Robson

Modern name

Hypericum choisianum Wall. ex N.Robson

Synonyms

H. hookerianum var. leschenaultii sens. Dyer in Fl. Brit. Ind., not H. leschenaultii Choisy

A shrub to 6 ft or slightly more high; stems four-lined and flattened when young, becoming terete. Leaves shortly stalked, 1 to 3[1/2] in. long, [3/8] to 1[5/8] in. wide, usually triangular-lanceolate, broad-cuneate to rounded or slightly cordate at the base, not glaucous beneath. Inflorescence one- to seven-flowered. Flowers golden yellow, 1[5/8] to 2[3/4] in. wide, shallowly to deeply cup-shaped; buds ovoid. Sepals spreading to recurved in bud and fruit, elliptic, usually acute to apiculate at the apex. Petals broadly obovate to rounded; lateral apiculus rounded. Stamens one-third to two fifths as long as the petals. Ovary and capsule broad-ovoid. Styles one-third to three-quarters as long as the ovary.

A native of the Himalaya, thence through northern Burma to Yunnan. The type was collected in Kumaon and catalogued as H. choisianum, but the name was first validated by Dr Robson in 1973. It has been confused with H. hookerianum, in which the leaves are glaucous beneath, the sepals erect and the stamens relatively shorter (one-quarter to one-third as long as the petals). It is in cultivation from seeds collected in Nepal (B.L. & M. 147 (1971) and Schilling 2242 (1977)), and possibly from other sources also.

† H. maclarenii.N Robson – This is near to H. choisianum, but with narrower petals, giving a star-shaped flower, longer stamens and leaves glaucous beneath. A native of western Szechwan, introduced by Roy Lancaster from seed collected in 1981 (L.863).