Hypericum calycinum
| Rose of Sharon | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypericum 'Hidcote', a hybrid form used as a garden shrub | ||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Hypericum calycinum L, |
Hypericum calycinum, commonly called the Rose of Sharon, is a shrubby species of Hypericum, family Clusiaceae, noted for its much larger flowers than most other species in the genus. It is a low, creeping, woody shrub to about 1 m tall and 1–2 m wide but often smaller. The green, ovate leaves grow in opposite pairs. The solitary flowers are 3–5 cm in diameter, a rich yellow, with five petals, and numerous yellow stamens. It is indigenous to southeast Europe and southwest Asia. It is a popular evergreen garden shrub, with many named cultivars and hybrids derived from it, e.g. Hypericum 'Hidcote', in the photograph, top right.
Other common names are: Aaron's beard, Great St-John's wort, Jerusalem star.
The name Rose of Sharon is also sometimes confusingly applied to an entirely unrelated species, Hibiscus syriacus.
Categories: Flowers