Family |
Hypericaceae
Hypericum libanoticum
N.Robson
Leb. Syr.
Hypericum libanoticum N.Robson
(Nouv. Fl. Liban Syrie 2: 524, 1970; Sect. Drosanthe)
• Synonymy & misapplied names: Drosanthe helianthemoides Spach sensu Jaub. & Spach (1842) pro parte, non Spach (1836); Hypericum helianthemoides Spach sensu Boiss. Fl. Or. pro parte, et auct. plur.; H. hyssopifolium subsp. helianthemoides (Spach) Thiébaut (1936) pro parte excl. typo; H. hyssopifolium sensu auct.; H. lydium sensu N. Robson (1967) pro parte excl. syn.
• Life-form & habit: Perennial, glabrous, suffrutescent, often much-branched at base with numerous sterile leafy shoots. Flowering stems ascending to erect, slender, sparingly leafy above, up to 60 cm tall or more, faintly bilineate.
• Leaves: Small, 4–15 × 1–2 mm, margin more or less revolute, apex rounded or minutely obtuse-apiculate, often arcuate, densely pellucid-punctate; fascicled on sterile shoots and at the base of flowering stems, not fascicled higher up.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Inflorescence elongated, very narrowly pyramidal or subspicate, with minute bracts; branches 1–2(3)-flowered. Calyx 3–4× shorter than corolla, sepals united up to ¼–½, rounded or acute, margin with regular sessile or subsessile small black glands, limb longitudinally pellucid-striate. Petals pale golden-yellow, (4) 6–10 mm, unguiculate, margin shortly black-glandular-ciliate or with subsessile black glands, limb pellucid-punctate. Stamens long, triadelphous.
• Fruit: Capsule 4–6(8) mm, ovoid-pyramidal or ovoid, scarcely rostrate, faintly striate, with 3 style bases divergent or recurved. Seeds brown, papillose, curved-cylindric, c. 2 mm.
• Phenology: Flowers May–August.
• Habitat & elevation: Rocky, often wooded limestone slopes; 1,700–1,800 m.
• Lebanese distribution: Jba‘a-ech-Chouf; above Ma‘asser ech-Chouf; Jabal Barouk; above ‘Aïn Zehalta and Cedars of ‘Aïn Zehalta; Jabal Kneissé; Jabal Sannine; Hasroun; above Yammouneh; Zahlé; Ouadi-el-‘Arayech; Beqa‘a.
• Syrian distribution: Anti-Lebanon (above Rachaya, Hermon, Ouadi-el-Harir, Zebdani, Ouadi Abou-el-Hom, Ouadi-el-Qarn).
• Type: Lebanon, western slope above ‘Aïn Zehalta, 1,700–1,800 m (Bornmüller 11533, BM holotype; isotypes E, LE).
⚠️ Diagnostic note: Affine to H. retusum Aucher but differs by the absence of black punctation on stems, leaves, sepals, and petals, leaves eglandular at the apex, and petals only shortly black-glandular-ciliate on the margin.