HYPERICUM

Description

Are they buds or blossoms? For floral designers, they are both…and neither. More than a foliage filler, yet not quite a flower, Hypericum offers the unexpected texture of ripe berries amid dense leaves and leggy branches.

The small deciduous bushes grow 2–3' high. The broad, teardrop-shaped leaves are up to 4" long, in matched pairs at 2–3" intervals along the straight, sturdy stems. Star-shaped golden yellow flowers have five petals and measure about ⅓" (2.5 cm) across, followed by clusters of plump, hard berries of varying number, size and density. The leaves have a pleasant woodsy fragrance. Not ethylene sensitive.

Colors: Yellow flowers; berries start green. Depending on cultivar, berries may ripen to green, white, yellow, peach, orange, scarlet or purplish colors, finally maturing to darker hues with some looking almost black. Leaf color is usually deep green but may vary from pale spring greens to deep red-veined tones.

Special Care

Choose cut stems that are not too woody, with firm, glossy and deeply-colored berries. The leaves are the most perishable part of the plant and they should stand at attention crisply, with no disease spots or damage. Potted plants should be full, compact and covered with blossoms and/or berries.

Recut stems and place in a lukewarm hydrating solution or floral preservative. Remove leaves that fall below the water line. Allow stems to rehydrate at room temperature for up to three hours before styling or storage. Store at 36–39°F (2–4°C) and use within 48 hours.

Fun Facts:

• Hypericum androsaemum, most commonly used by floral designers, is prized for the beauty of its brushy habit and colorful berries. Its cousin, Hypericum perforatum, is the species commercially grown as the popular "St. John’s Wort” herbal mood-lifter. The herb’s medicinal value lies in its yellow flowers, which yield the active compounds. Its seed pods are leathery and functional, not plump and decorative like its more glamorous florist-flower relative.

• The common name St. John’s Wort refers to any member of the Hypericum genus. The name came from the plants’ typical blooming and harvest season in Europe, which brings its profusion of starry golden blossoms around St. John’s Day (June 24).

• The fruits and seeds of all Hypericum plants are considered toxic and will cause digestive distress if eaten.

• In ancient times, sprigs of Hypericum flowers were placed over windows and pictures to protect against evil spirits. The genus’ name refers to this ritual by combining the Greek words "hyper" (meaning above) and "eikon" (meaning image).

• The ancients also observed that, when cut, this plant "bleeds" a reddish sap just as a cut finger would. So the specific epithet, androsaemum, combines the Greek words "andro" (meaning man) and "haima" (meaning blood).

• Some common names (tutsan) for Hypericum androsaemum may come from the plant’s centuries-old popularity in Europe, where healers made use of several parts of the plant. In French, "toute saine" means all healthy, a label which, over time, may have morphed into “tutsan.”

• Sweet-amber, another common name for Hypericum, refers to its scent, which reminded early botanists of the perfume ingredient ambergris.

• Hypericum androsaemum is also called coffee berry (or bean) in the floral industry because of the fruits’ resemblance to coffee beans; but, they should not be confused with Calophyllum, whose common name is coffee berry tree.

• Hypericum is considered an invasive weed in Australia and New Zealand.

• In the Victorian “Language of Flowers,” Hypericum symbolizes superstition.

• A member of the Clusiaceae (mangosteen) family, Hypericum is also related to Malabar tamarind and bitter kola.