Hypericum androsaemum
NPPA pest plant
Environmental Weed (2024)
Common names
tutsan
Family
Hypericaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
HYPAND
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Terrestrial. A plant found in cool damp situations. Forest communities are invaded under light shade. A plant that grows in higher rainfall areas. Prefers full light or light shade. A plant of forest margins in North and South Island (Hilgendorf 1926). The plant grows in rocklands and steep banks. The plant is prevalent in unintensively farmed land, wasteland and road verges. The plant grows in forest margins, scrub and other secondary growth, open forest, waste places and garden surrounds. A plant of low and disturbed forest and open areas. Forest communities which have a high light intensity as well as some alluvial plant communities (Fromont and King, 1992).
Detailed description
Glabrous evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub or subshrub to around 1.5m tall, lacking black glands. No rhizomes; shoots with 2 raised lines. Leaves sessile, 3.5~10 x 2.5~5cm, ovate or ovate-elliptic, often glaucescent below; base cordate and often amplexicaul; apex rounded and sometimes mucronulate. Cymes terminal, dense,2~8-flowered. Sepals unequal, 8~12mm long, ovate to elliptic, entire, with minute pellucid glands, enlarged at fruiting. Corolla 1.5~2.5cm diam., flat; petals = or slightly > sepals, obovate, pale yellow. Stamens in 5 bundles, some > petals. Styles 3, < ovary. Fruit around 1cm diam., globose, indehiscent and generally fleshy, red but becoming black with dark reddish purple juice. Seeds 0.9-1.0mm long, cylindric but sometimes curved, reticulate and angled on one side. (- Webb et al, 1988)
Similar taxa
Crushed leaves with curry smell (Lazarides et al 1997) The plant is usually 60 cm - 100 cm tall (Hilgendorf 1926). The stem is 4-angled and the leaves are egg shaped (Hilgendorf 1926). The leaves are 2 - 6 cm long and its fruit is a berry. The plant grows to approximately 1.5 m in height. The berry is fleshy, red, becoming black with dark reddish purple juice. Seeds are cylindrical, sometimes curved, reticulate and from 9-10 mm long. The flowers are small and yellow and the fruit occurs in clusters. Semi-woody shrub (Fromont and King, 1992).
Flowering
November, December, January, February
Flower colours
Yellow
Year naturalised
1870
Origin
S & W Europe
Etymology
hypericum: From the Greek hyper (above) and eikon (picture), the plant was hung above pictures to ward off evil spirits
National Pest Plant Accord species
This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand. For up to date information and an electronic copy of the 2020 Pest Plant Accord manual (including plant information and images) visit the MPI website.
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.