Hypericum papuanum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia
Introduction

Protologue: Trans. Linn. Soc. II, Bot. 9: 19 (1916).

Synonyms

New Guinea, where it is widespread in the mountainous regions.

The leaves are reported to be used in New Guinea to treat sores.

A very variable woody herb or shrub, 10-130 cm tall, branches often creeping and rooting at the base.
Leaves narrowly ovate to elliptical or subcircular, 0.6-2.5 cm × 0.3-1.7 cm, concolorous, with 4-6 main lateral veins and reticulate venation, laminar glands pale, intramarginal glands pale or (partly) black, sessile.
Inflorescence 1-flowered.
Flowers 1.8-2 cm in diameter, sepals 3-8 mm × 1-3.5 mm, free, foliaceous, laminar glands pale, submarginal glands black or absent, petals 9-15 mm × 4-9 mm, persistent, bright yellow, laminar glands pale, marginal glands black or absent, stamens (15-)25-40(-50), not clearly in fascicles, persistent, ovary ovoid, placentas 3(-5), parietal, styles 3(-5), divergent, stigmas capitate.
Fruit ovoid to ellipsoid, 5-10 mm long, longitudinally striped.
Seeds minute, cylindrical or subcylindrical, scarcely carinate, densely linear foveolate to scalariform.

H. papuanum is found in wet to dry alpine grasslands, bogs, and screes at 1800-3800 m altitude.

[597] Holdsworth, D.K., 1977. Medicinal plants of Papua New Guinea. Technical Paper No 175. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 123 pp.
[827] Leach, A.J., Leach, D.N. & Leach, G.J., 1988. Antibacterial activity of some medicinal plants of Papua New Guinea. Science in New Guinea 14(1): 1-7.
[1238] Robson, N.K.B., 1974. Hypericum. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (General editor): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 8. Sijthoff & Noordhoff International Publishers, Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. pp. 14-29.
[1239] Robson, N.K.B., 1977. Studies in the genus Hypericum L. (Guttiferae) I. Infrageneric classification. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Botany 5(6): 291-355.
[1240] Robson, N.K.B., 1980. Hypericum L. In: Townsend, C.C. & Guest, E.R. (Editors): Flora of Iraq. Vol. 4. Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Bagdad, Iraq. pp. 363-381.
[1241] Robson, N.K.B., 1981. Studies in the genus Hypericum L. (Guttiferae). I. Characters of the genus. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Botany 8(2): 55-226.