Content
- St. John's wort in the profile - characteristics, occurrences and more
- Everything essential at a glance
- A perennial herb with many names
- Growth, leaves and flowers more in focus
- The leaves and flowers
- Tips
St. John's wort is a medicinal plant native to Central Europe
St. John's wort in the profile - characteristics, occurrences and more
Most people associate St. John's wort with a natural remedy for depression. This plant is much more than that. For example, it is also a pretty ornamental herb with its golden yellow. Get to know St. John's wort correctly!
Everything essential at a glance
A perennial herb with many names
St. John's wort is perennial in this country. Winter survives without problems. It belongs to the family of Hypericaceae. His German name refers to the heyday of St. John's Day (June 24). Further names for this plant are among other things Proud Heinrich, witches herb, Elfenblut, power of man, blood herb and Johannisblut.
Growth, leaves and flowers more in focus
The overall appearance is bushy branches. While the St. John's wort in the underground forms a strongly branched root, which can reach up to 50 cm deep, it shows on the surface up to 1 m high stems. Usually, however, this is 20 to 50 cm high.
The leaves and flowers
The foliage is extremely characteristic. At him one can recognize the greenhouse well. The leaves are almost sessile and arrange oppositely around the stems.
They are between 1 and 3 cm long, are ovate to ovate, thin and entire. If you keep the leaves in the back light, you can see many tiny dots through which the light shines. Each leaf contains essential oil.
The flowers can be present from June to August (maximum until September). The inflorescence is a Trugdolde. The individual petals are up to 13 mm long and are immersed in a bright golden yellow. At the edge, black dots appear.
Tips
The best time to harvest this herb is towards the end of June and until August. At its heyday it contains the highest active ingredient content. The flowers and possibly the leaves are harvested.