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Bushy St. John's-wort

Hypericum densiflorum

Found in bogs, streambanks, dry to moist forests, rock outcrops, moist forests, pine savannas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

72
Strong

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

Profile 100%

Height
2–7 feet
Spread
3–6 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 4.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 5 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
June to September
Fruiting season
Spring to summer

Recorded in 23 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 5

Streams, rivers and their banks

Watauga Falls
Named place / source context. Shown: Watauga Falls, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Watauga Falls, Illustrator/engraver not confidently attributed; reproduced in Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies (1883), 1883. Public domain. Source record.

Moist forests

Shortia beneath rhododendrons in mountain woodland
Regional / representative. Shown: Mountains of North and South Carolina; exact site not identified, a neighboring state.Shortia beneath rhododendrons in mountain woodland, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Cliffs, ledges and rocky summits

Sassafras Mountain rock outcrop
Rock outcrop on a mountain summit. Shown: Sassafras Mountain, on the North Carolina and South Carolina line, a neighboring state.Sassafras Mountain rock outcrop, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record. Faithful JPEG display decode of embedded JP2; no AI or color enhancement. Phone derivative resized proportionally.

Pine savannas

Sandy Pine Savanna, Rush Featherling subtype
Sandy pine savanna. Shown: Shaken Creek Preserve, Pender and Onslow Counties, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Sandy Pine Savanna, Rush Featherling subtype, Robert Thornhill, undated. CC BY 4.0. Source record.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 118 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

22CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Hypericum

  • Acleris maculidorsanaStained-Back Leafroller Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Hyppa xylinoidesCommon Hyppa
  • Iodopepla u-albumBurgundy St. Johnswort Moth, White-Eyed Borer
  • Iridopsis ephyrariaPale-Winged Gray
  • Melanchra assimilisBlack Arches
  • Nedra ramosulaGray Half-Spot
  • Nemoria bistriariaTwo-Striped Emerald, Red-Fringed Emerald
  • Nemoria tuscaroraAppalachian Emerald
Show all 22
  • Phlogophora irisOlive Angle Shades
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Probole amicariaFriendly Probole
  • 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
  • Agonopterix hyperella
  • Agonopterix lythrella
  • Coleotechnites nigritus
  • 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
Hardiness
Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Bushy St. John's wort; Bushy St. Johnswort; Mountain St. Johnswort

Conservation status

Virginia rankS4
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources