Content
- The berries of St. John's wort: maturity and appearance
- Ripening period of the berries: August to September
- This is how the fruits look
- Take a look at the seeds
- Berries are inedible
- The color changes
- Tips
The beautiful red berries of St. John's wort are inedible
The berries of St. John's wort: maturity and appearance
The St. John's wort in bloom has probably already been seen by almost everyone. But what happens after that, if the old flowers are not cut off? What are the fruits?
Ripening period of the berries: August to September
After the flowering period, which usually lasts from June to August, St. John's wort develops its fruits. They mature between August and September. They can remain attached to the plant until winter, before they slowly dry up and disappear.
This is how the fruits look
The fruits are reminiscent of berries from a cranberry blossom. Per berry a berry appears. They have the following external characteristics:
The fruits are three-fold split capsules. They are mostly dyed coral red. The red creates a nice contrast to the green leaves. Thus, St. John's wort has a certain ornamental value even in autumn.
Take a look at the seeds
When you open the berry-like fruits, you see that they are fleshy. The seeds are in the capsules. These will be 1 mm long. They are curved and finely reticulate. You can sow the seeds. But beware: they are light germs!
Berries are inedible
Even if the berries with their red color look delicious - they are not edible. That means they are not very tasty. They contain bitter substances. However, these fruits are not poisonous.
The color changes
First, the berries are extremely unimpressive with their green color. Gradually they turn red to reddish-brown. Some specimens are even shiny black colored at full maturity. These include, for example, Hypericum androsaemum. The berries of this species are first colored light yellow. Hypericum elatum, on the other hand, produces pink berry fruits.
Tips
It is best not to let the plant even come to the formation of their berries. The fruits with the contained seeds extract many nutrients / much strength from the St. John's Wort.