This is a tall, handsome plant, whose flowers appear late in summer
among low-growing bushes or on the hedge-banks.
Each flower has five pale yellow, pointed petals, which open like a
star. On these petals there are often many small black dots.
The flowers grow on short stalks, which always rise between a small
green leaf and the stem. These flower-stalks are in pairs, exactly
opposite each other on each side of the stem.
Inside the flower there are a great many stamens. These stamens are
grouped in bunches, and do not form a ring all round the centre as in
many flowers.
Seated among these bunches is a pear-shaped seed-vessel with three horns
at the top.
At the back of the flower, lying flat open, are five thin green sepals,
whose tips you can see appearing, as you look down into the flower,
between the yellow petals.
The stalk is smooth and stiff, with two edges which look as if the sides
had been joined together.
The green leaves grow in pairs opposite each other. They taper to a
point and have edges that are smooth all round. If you look closely you
will see that each leaf is covered with tiny black dots.
There is another St. John's Wort very like this, but its stalk is
square, with four edges.