[The St. Johnswort Family in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Norton's St. John's-wort

Hypericum scouleri ssp. nortoniae

Synonyms: Hypericum formosum ssp. scouleri var. nortoniae, Hypericum formosum var. nortoniae

Flower of Western St. John's-wort, Norton's St. John'swort: Synonyms: Hypericum formosum ssp. scouleri var. nortoniae, Hypericum formosum var. nortoniae

The photo above shows a close-up of the flower of Norton's st. john's wort as seen at a small seep along the Island Springs Trail #66.........August 12, 2006. Note the numerous stamens.

Subspecies nortoniae differs from subspecies scouleri in having one to several simple stems (rather than multiple, often branched stems) less than 20 cm high and is generally found higher than ssp. scouleri in subalpine habitats.

Western St. John's-wort, Norton's St. John'swort: Synonyms: Hypericum formosum ssp. scouleri var. nortoniae, Hypericum formosum var. nortoniae

A close-up sideview of the inflorescence of Norton's st. john's-wort. The simple stems are relatively lax and are spreading-ascending. Note also the ovate leaves that are paired on the stems.

Sepals of Western St. John's-wort, Norton's St. John'swort: Synonyms: Hypericum formosum ssp. scouleri var. nortoniae, Hypericum formosum var. nortoniae

The underside of the flower shows the broad, triangular sepals which help identify this species from common st. john's-wort (Hypericum perforatum).

Stem leaf of Western St. John's-wort, Norton's St. John'swort: Synonyms: Hypericum formosum ssp. scouleri var. nortoniae, Hypericum formosum var. nortoniae

The ovate leaf of Norton's st. john's-wort.

Western St. John's-wort, Norton's St. John'swort: Synonyms: Hypericum formosum ssp. scouleri var. nortoniae, Hypericum formosum var. nortoniae

The photo above shows a side-view of the stem of Norton's St. John's-wort as seen about one-half mile below Wildhorse Lake on the Steens Mt. of southeastern Oregon.........July 16, 2005. Subspecies nortoniae differs from subspecies scouleri in having one to several simple stems (rather than multiple, often branched stems) less than 20 cm high and is generally found higher than ssp. scouleri in subalpine habitats.
Paul Slichter