Bedstraw St. Johnswort facts for kids

Hypericum galioides, also known as the bedstraw St. Johnswort, is a cool flowering plant. It belongs to the St. John's wort family, called Hypericaceae. This plant is special because it only grows naturally in the Southeastern United States. When a plant or animal only lives in one specific area, we say it is endemic there.

About the Bedstraw St. Johnswort

What Does It Look Like?

The bedstraw St. Johnswort is a thin, bushy plant. It can grow up to about 1.5 meters (that's about 5 feet) tall! Its leaves are long and narrow, like tiny blades. They are usually 15 to 37 centimeters (about 6 to 14.5 inches) long and only 1 to 7 millimeters (less than half an inch) wide. The tips of the leaves are often pointed.

The flowers are small and grow in clusters at the ends of branches or where leaves meet the stem. They have very thin, pointed sepals (the green parts that protect the bud). Each flower is about 9 to 14 millimeters (less than an inch) wide. They have 5 bright yellow petals, which makes them easy to spot! Inside, you'll find many stamens, usually between 60 and 120. These plants bloom in the summer, typically from June to August. After the flowers, small, egg-shaped fruits appear. They are about 4.5 to 6 millimeters long.

Where Does It Grow?

The bedstraw St. Johnswort loves wet or damp places. You can find it in the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. It has been seen from North Carolina all the way south to northern Florida. It also grows west into the eastern parts of Texas. However, it doesn't grow in most of the Mississippi River delta area.

You might spot this plant in many different wet spots. It likes to grow along streambanks, in swamps, and in river bottoms. It also thrives in floodplains, near lake edges, in wet pine forests, and even in ditches.