The fifth Hypericacea

Fueled by a breakfast of chocolate pudding and gooseberry ice-cream, I've done some scything of long grass and rushes today on the front bank. Near the top of the bank I found the Boggy Brae's fifth member of the Hypericaceae: Slender St.John's-wort (Hypericum pulchrum). The pic of the flowers is actually from June last year. I think this year's plants have 'gone over', though I did manage to get some details to ascertain their ID. This and Perforate St.John's-wort look quite similar until you look closely. In fact I didn't realise we had Perforate until this month.

Blunt, oval and cordate leaves
of H.pulchrum

Blunt, black-dotted-edged sepal of H.pulchrum

'gone over' petals of H.pulchrum
also black-dotted at the edges

Perforate St.John's-wort (H.perforatum) has more oblong leaves, pointed sepals, a two-winged stem (H.pulchrum stem is round and has no wings), and slightly larger flowers.

My boots and trouser legs got quite soggy doing the scything. July has been a very wet month here.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the garden, the Peruvian lilies are Spiraea and flowering heartily,

the wild cherries shine out against a blue sky (when there is blue sky!), and where, at the base of a two-trunked wild cherry tree, there was once only one Lesser Stitchwort plant, there are now several spreading all three hundred and sixty degrees around it.

I found a Prickly Sowthistle plant, not yet flowering. It is garden wildplant 170 for 2015.