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Hypericum japonicum Thunb.

Synonym	:	Hypericum japonicum var. calyculatum R. Keller
Family	:	Hypericaceae
Local name	:	English- Swamp Hypericum
Flowering and fruiting period	:	April-August
Distribution	:	Indo-Malesia to Australia and New Zealand and East Asia
Distribution in Kerala	:	Palakkad, Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Kannur, Kollam, Wayanad
Habitat	:	Water logged areas in grasslands and semi-evergreen forests
Uses	:	The plant is alterative, antiphlogistic, astringent, depurative, febrifuge, stomachic and vulnerary. It is decocted with water for use. It is used in the treatment of asthma and dysentery, acute hepatitis, pain in the liver region, appendicitis, boils and abscesses and has also been used as a styptic. Combined with ginger (Zingiber officinale) and ash salt, it is used in the treatment of malaria. The plant has also shown antitumour activity. Applied externally, it is used to treat wounds, leech and snake bites, swellings, abscesses, scrofula and fungal skin diseases
Key botanical characters: Annual herbs, about 5-35 cm tall. Stem erect or decumbent, simple or branched dichotomously, rooting at basal nodes, 4 lined, glabrous or sparsely glandular. Leaves simple, opposite, oblanceolate-elliptic to ovate,  base cordate or amplexicaul, margins entire, apex obtuse or rounded, leaf lamina contain obscurely pellucid punctate glands, especially near the margins beneath, chartaceous, green glabrous above and paler glaucous beneath, midrib impressed above and prominent beneath, lateral veins about 2-6 on either side of the midrib, petiole sessile, exstipulate. Inflorescence 1-25 flowered axillary monochasial or dichasial cymes. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, bracts linear lanceolate, foliaceous,  caducous, sepals 5, unequal, quincuncial, outer 2, lanceolate-ovate, inner 3, oblanceolate-oblong, chartaceous, veined prominently, glandular punctate with pellucid black glands, persistent,  petals 5, oblanceolate-oblong, yellow or bright yellow, veined prominently, persistent, as long as sepals or about 2-4 x 2-3 mm across. Stamens 5-30, in bundles or fascicles 3-5, free, filaments linear, filiform, glabrous, of unequal length, anthers dorsifixed, yellow. Ovary superior, ovoid-globose, unilocular,  ovules many, styles 3, free from the base, erect. Fruit capsule septicidal, ovoid-subglobose, apex obtuse, longitudinally vittate, with persistent style. Seeds numerous, oblong, ribbed, testa transverse-scalariform densely, brown.