Practical
Plants

Hypericum japonicum

Matted St. John's Wort

an annual or perennial member of the Hypericum genus in the family Hypericaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

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

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

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

The plant is suspected of causing photo-sensitization[4]. Feeding trials to livestock in New Zealand have shown that it is non-toxic[4].

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 plant is alterative, antiphlogistic, astringent, depurative, febrifuge and vulnerary[2][3][4]. It is decocted with water for use[3]. 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[2][4][6]. The plant has also shown antitumour activity[3].

Product or use
Antiphlogistic
Product or use
Depurative
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Vulnerary

Environment

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[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
high
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 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.

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. This species is found in the wild in wet soils. A very variable species[5].

References

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

    ↩

  2. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. 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. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩1↩2

  6. Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6

    ↩

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