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Hypericum japonicum

Common name:	Matted St. John's Wort	Family:	Hypericaceae
Author:	Thunb.	Botanical references:	58, 200, 266
Synonyms:	Hypericum pusillum (Choisy.), Hypericum calycatum
Known Hazards:	The plant is suspected of causing photo-sensitization[240]. Feeding trials to livestock in New Zealand have shown that it is non-toxic[240].
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan to Australia and New Zealand.
Habitat:	Wet places in lowland, C. and S. Japan. Rice fields, ditches, marshes, grasslands and waste places from sea level to around 3000 metres[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	H. calycinum[B,G,H,HORTIPLEX,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Aaron's Beard [P], Aaron's-beard [B], Creeping St John's Wort [H], Rose Of Sharon [H],
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China; Malagasy; Philippines(Ifugao)

Physical Characteristics

Annual/Perennial growing to 0.5m. . It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist or wet soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiphlogistic; Depurative; Febrifuge; Vulnerary.

The plant is alterative, antiphlogistic, astringent, depurative, febrifuge and vulnerary[147, 218, 240]. It is decocted with water for use[218]. It is used in the treatment of asthma and dysentery, acute hepatitis, pain in the liver region, appendicitis, boils and abscesses and has also been used as a styptic[147, 240, 272]. The plant has also shown antitumour activity[218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in any reasonably good well-drained but moisture retentive soil[1]. Succeeds in sun or semi-shade but flowers better in a sunny position. This species is found in the wild in wet soils.
A very variable species[266].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring.
It might also be worthwhile trying an outdoor sowing in April.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Hypericum calycinum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.