Practical
Plants

Hypericum erectum

a perennial member of the Hypericum genus in the family Hypericaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.6 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves and stems[2][3]. No more details.

Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves and flowering tops are galactogogue[5]. The stems are rich in tannin and are used in the treatment of arthritis, lumbago, neuralgia and rheumatism[5].

Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Galactogogue

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Habitat
Grassy places and thin woods in hills and mountains all over Japan[7]. Grassy slopes at elevations of 400 - 2300 metresin China[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 10°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[4]. One report says that the plant is vigorous but not quite hardy in Britain[1]. This seems to be a mistake, other reports say that it is hardy to zone 6, tolerating winter temperatures down to -15°c or lower[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  5. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2

  6. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩

  7. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

Edit this page