Wildlife
St John's wort is sometimes considered a troublesome weed but is also used as a herbal remedy. Extracts from this tough little perennial herb are prescribed as an alternative medicine for depression. Introduced to countries outside its native Europe, St John's wort has spread aggressively and is difficult to eliminate. The origin of the common name might derive from the blooms of bright yellow flowers that appear in time for St John's Day in June, or perhaps because the dark spots on the flowers represent his blood and the translucent leaf spots the tears shed over his death. Whatever the reason, this plant has been linked to John the Baptist for centuries.
Scientific name: Hypericum perforatum
Rank: Species
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Mini chalk downland
Wildflowers thrive on the dried out ash lagoons of an old London power station.
Wildflowers thrive on the dried out ash lagoons of an old London power station.
The elf chaser
St John's Wort has had special significance since pagan times.
St John's Wort has had special significance since pagan times.
The St John's wort can be found in a number of locations including: China, Europe, Russia, United Kingdom. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the St John's wort distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
St John's wort (traditionally /ˈsɪndʒənzwɜrt/ SIN-jənz-wurt; now /wɔrt/ in some dialects) is the plant species Hypericum perforatum, and is also known as Tipton's weed, rosin rose, goatweed, chase-devil, or Klamath weed.
With qualifiers, St John's wort is used to refer to any species of the genus Hypericum. Therefore, H. perforatum is sometimes called common St John's wort or perforate St John's wort to differentiate it. The species of Hypericum are classified in the Hypericaceae family, having previously been classified as Guttiferae or Clusiaceae. Approximately 370 species of the genus Hypericum exist worldwide with a native geographical distribution including temperate and subtropical regions of North America, Europe, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, India, China and Brazil.
St John's wort is widely known as an herbal medicine for treating depression.
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Farmland
Brownfield land
Chalk grassland
Wildflower meadow
Temperate grassland
Urban
