Nature notes: St John’s wort in abundance

The yellow St John’s wort is flowering in abundance this year. The commonest species, generally found in places that get plenty of sun, is perforate St John’s wort. This has large flowers like yellow stars, with black dots on the petals and sometimes on the sepals, and noticeable bundles of stamens in the middle. This gives the whole flower a rather busy look. The “perforate” in its name comes from its leaves, which have little translucent dots. These can be seen if one holds the leaves up to the light. It was much used in magic and medicine; nowadays it is still thought helpful in relieving anxiety and depression. Its patron saint was John the Baptist. There are several other species of St John’s wort in Britain, of which one called square-stalked St John’s wort is more commonly found in damp, somewhat shady places. Its name describes one of its characteristic features; it also has smaller flowers.