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Sharpleaf St. John's-wort

Hypericum virgatum

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in hardpan woodlands, rock outcrops, woodland borders, glades and barrens (especially over mafic or ultramafic rocks). Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

67
Strong

Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 3 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to wet
Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to September

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

County records are not available.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Cliffs, ledges and rocky summits

Cliffs, ledges, rock outcrops, talus and rocky summits where the source does not name the rock. A named rock files the place under its own glade or outcrop type instead.

Glades, barrens and outcrops on mafic or serpentine rock

Open, thin-soil openings, outcrops and cliffs on dark, magnesium- or iron-rich rock such as serpentine, diabase or gabbro.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

16CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Hypericum

  • Acleris maculidorsanaStained-Back Leafroller Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Iodopepla u-albumBurgundy St. Johnswort Moth, White-Eyed Borer
  • Iridopsis ephyrariaPale-Winged Gray
  • Mocis latipesSmall Mocis, Striped Grass Looper
  • Nedra ramosulaGray Half-Spot
  • Nemoria bistriariaTwo-Striped Emerald, Red-Fringed Emerald
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Probole amicariaFriendly Probole
Show all 16
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Tallula watsoniWatson's Tallula
  • Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
  • Zale lunataLunate Zale
  • Xenotemna pallorana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
43BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Hypericum

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Hypericum

  • Aythya collarisRing-necked Duck
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Hypericaceae
Flower color
Orange or yellow
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Sharp Leaf St. Johnswort; Sharpleaf St. John's wort; Strict St. Johnswort

Conservation status

Arkansas rankS1
Global rankG4?
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources