Hypericum androsaemum, commonly known as the shrubby St. John's wort, tutsan or sweet-amber, is a flowering plant in the family
Hypericaceae. It is native to Western Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, but has been introduced elsewhere, including Australia and New Zealand. In these countries, it is often considered a noxious weed.
Hypericum androsaemum is found in damp and shady areas at a great range of elevations, from low-lying regions up to 1,800 metres (5,900 feet) in elevation. It requires heavy rainfall, typically greater than 750 millimetres (30 inches) of annual precipitation.
Hypericum androsaemum is a small bushy shrub, reaching 30 to 70 centimetres (0.98 to 2.30 feet) tall, with many stems which remain upright and erect, and oval-shaped leaves along its stems. It has yellow flowers, five petals and, uniquely among
Hypericum, its berries, which ripen by late summer, turn from red to black and remain soft and fleshy even after ripening. Its seeds germinate in the fall and it flowers when it is between 18 and 24 months old, typically from late spring to early summer. This photograph, showing two ripe
H. androsaemum berries, was
focus-stacked from 23 separate images.
Photograph credit: Dominicus Johannes Bergsma
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