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Smaller St. John's-Wort

St. John's-wort Family.

Hypericum ellipticum, H. mutilum, H. Canadense, and H. nudicaule, all belong to this group.

In July or August the light yellow flowers of H. ellipticum are found in wet places. They resemble in structure those of the common St. John's-wort. The simple stem of this plant is from ten to twenty inches high. In H. mutilum there are from five to twelve stamens only; the partly clasping leaves are five-nerved.

H. Canadense and H. nudicaule also have from five to twelve stamens. The former is found in abundance all summer in wet, sandy places. Its leaves are narrow and three-nerved.

H. nudicaule, or orange-grass, abounds in certain sandy fields. Its minute flowers, its wiry, thread-like, bushy branches, and its tiny, awl-shaped leaves make it easily recognizable.