''Hypericum vacciniifolium'' is a species of flowering plant in the

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 ...

family

Hypericaceae Hypericaceae is a plant family in the order Malpighiales, comprising six to nine genera and up to 700 species, and commonly known as the St. John's wort family. Members are found throughout the world apart from extremely cold or dry habitats. ...

. It was first described by August von Hayek and Walter Siehe in the Ann. K. K. Naturhist. Hofmus. journal in 1914 from a specimen collected by Siehe in 1912.

Description

''Shrub'' 0.08–0.2 m tall, erect, bushy, rounded, with branches tortuous. ''Stems'' 2-lined when young, soon terete; bark greyish brown to whitish grey. ''Leaves'' sessile or with pseudopetiole up to ''c''. 0.7 mm; lamina 6–15 x 3.5–9 mm, elliptic or oblong-elliptic to obovate, somewhat paler but not or scarcely glaucous beneath, midrib and reticulate venation prominent on both sides, chartaceous, deciduous during second year; apex obtuse or subapiculate to rounded, base cuneate to angustate or shortly pseudopetiolate; venation: 3–6 pairs of major and minor laterals, distinct from tertiary reticulation. ''Inflorescence'' l-3(−9)-flowered, from 1–2 nodes, rounded-corymbiform when several-flowered; pedicels 4–7 mm; bracteoles triangular-subulate, margin entire. ''Flowers c''. 15–18 mm in diam.; buds ellipsoid, rounded. ''Sepals'' 2–4 x 1.3–1.7 mm, unequal, shortly united, oblong to ovate, subacute to rounded, margin entire, glands submarginal, veins 3–5, not prominent. ''Petals'' bright? yellow, 10–12 x 4–5 mm, 3–4 x sepals, oblong-lanceolate, unequally retuse; laminar glands linear to punctiform. ''Stamens c.'' 20, longest ''c''. 11–12 mm, about equalling petals. ''Ovary c''. 2.5 x 1.5mm, narrowly ovoid-ellipsoid; styles 8–9 mm long, ''c''. 3–4 x ovary, narrowly curved-ascending; stigmas narrow''. Capsule'' (immature) ovoid. ''Seeds'' not seen. ''H. vacciniifolium'' is closely related to the Libano-Syrian ''H. nanum'', differing essentially from it in the thinner leaves with prominent venation and angustate to pseudopetiolate base and the smaller number of stamens, and usually in the fewer (often only 1) -flowered inflorescence and relatively broader, less acute sepals.

Distribution

''H. vacciniifolium'' is found only in the East Cilicia region of Southern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. The species appears to be confined to a small area of the

Taurus Mountains The Taurus Mountains (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar,'' Greek language, Greek'':'' Ταύρος) are a mountain range, mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coastal reg ...

. It can be found on limestone cliffs at altitudes of 1000–1500 meters.

Uses

''H. vacciniifolium'', along with other Turkish species of ''Hypericum'', is used in local

folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

. It is specifically used to help treat

eczema Dermatitis is a term used for different types of skin inflammation, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened ...

, swelling, bruises, and minor wounds. In lab conditions, the species has been proven to have antibacterial properties against ''

Staphylococcus aureus ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often posi ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17812838 vacciniifolium