Hypericum calycinum
| Rose of Sharon | ||||||||||||||
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 Hypericum 'Hidcote', a hybrid form used as a garden shrub | ||||||||||||||
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| Hypericum calycinum |
Hypericum calycinum--commonly called the Rose of Sharon--is a shrubby species of Hypericum, family Clusiaceae, noted for its much larger flowers than most other species in the genus. It is a woody shrub to about 1m tall and 1-2m wide but often smaller. The flowers are a rich yellow, 3-5 cm diameter. It is indigenous to southeast Europe. It is a popular evergreen garden shrub, with many named cultivars and hybrids derived from it, e.g. Hypericum 'Hidcote', in the photograph, top right.
Other common names are: Aaron's beard, Great St-John's wort, Jerusalem star.
The name Rose of Sharon is also sometimes confusingly applied to an entirely unrelated species, Hibiscus syriacus.