Hypericum faberi R. Keller

Hypericum faberi appears to be related to the "decorum" form of the Japanese H. senanense Maximowicz, the Fanjing Shan (Guizhou) population being most similar to it. It is easy to confuse with H. petiolulatum subsp. yunnanense, which differs from it by (1) the densely gland-dotted leaves that vary from oblong to lanceolate, (2) the upper leaves sometimes with glandular auricles, (3) the acute sepals with few or no marginal glands that are sometimes on cilia, and (4) the usually shorter styles (1.5-2.2 mm) and smaller, broader capsule.

Herbs, perennial, 20-60(-80) cm tall, geniculate (or rarely suberect) to procumbent from creeping, branching and rooting base; stems solitary or few, unbranched below inflorescence to branched from most nodes. Stems terete, eglandular. Leaves with petiole (0.5-)1-1.5(-3) mm; blade ovate-oblong to oblong, 1-3 cm × 5-11 mm; thickly papery, abaxially paler or glaucous; laminar glands absent or more rarely few or scattered dots, pale and rarely black, large; intramarginal glands rather dense, black; main lateral veins 2- or 3-paired, tertiary reticulation rather lax and abaxially often scarcely visible; base rather broadly cuneate to rounded, margin entire, plane or slightly incurved, apex rounded. Inflorescence (1-)5-7(-11)-flowered, from 1 or 2(or 3) nodes, sometimes with branches from up to 9 nodes below, the whole nearly flat-topped to pyramidal or condensed-cylindric; bracts and bracteoles linear or linear-lanceolate, margin entire, with spaced marginal black glands. Flowers 5-10 mm in diam., substellate; buds ellipsoid, apex obtuse. Sepals free, erect, oblong or elliptic-oblong to obovate-oblong, subequal to unequal, (3.5-)4-5 × 1-2 mm; laminar glands pale or black, streaks to dots; marginal glands black, spaced, submarginal, rather large; margin entire, apex rounded to apiculate-obtuse or rarely acute; veins 5. Petals ?bright yellow, obovate-oblong, 5-7 × 1.5-3 mm, 1.2-1.5 × as long as sepals; laminar glands absent; marginal glands black, few, near apex only; margin entire. Stamens 24-30, apparently 3-fascicled, longest 4-6 mm, 0.8-0.9 × as long as petals. Ovary ovoid; styles 3(or 4), 2-3(-5.5) mm, 1-1.5(-2.5) × as long as ovary, divaricate. Capsule broadly ovoid, 5-7 × 3.5-4.5 mm, 1.5-2 × as long as sepals Seeds yellow-brown, 0.5-0.6 mm; testa shallowly linear-foveolate. Fl. Jun-Aug, fr. Aug-Oct.

Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang.

● Grassy places and thickets on mountain slopes, along roadsides and in rice fields; (200-)500-2700 m.