''Hypericum balearicum'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family '' Hypericaceae'', native to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

's Balearic Islands. It is the only species in the section ''Psorophytum''.

Description

''Hypericum balearicum'' is a shrub or small tree tall, usually forming a rounded bush with erect or ascending branches. Its stems are glandular and warty, yellow-green when young, becoming reddish-brown as it ages. The leaves are sessile, up to long and broad. The leaves have rounded tips, undulate margins, and broadly cuneate to rounded bases. They are leathery, with prominent warty glands, and paler underneath. The flowers are across with 5 golden yellow petals (rarely pale yellow), rounded sepals, with involucre-like bracts. The petals are oblong with rounded tips, long, and across. Its warty stems and leaves and its involucre-like bracts distinguish it from other species of ''Hypericum''.

Distribution and habitat

''H. balearicum'' is confined to the Balearic Islands (

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

, Menorca, Ibiza, Cabrera, and Dragonera). It is common on Mallorca but rare on the other islands. It has been introduced to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It is found in dry woods and calcareous rocky habitats, from .

References

California Flora Nursery
* J.D. Curtis and N.R. Lersten, "Internal secretory structures in ''Hypericum'' (Hypericaceae): ''H. perforatum'' L. and ''H. balearicum'' L.", ''New Phytologist'', volume 114, issue 4, pages 571-580, April 28, 2006. {{Taxonbar, from=Q804885 balearicum Endemic flora of the Balearic Islands Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus