Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum prolificum) | Indigenous Plant | This Land

Shrubby St. John’s Wort

Hypericum prolificum

[ hy-PER-ih-kum pro-LIF-ih-kum ]

● Available Now Shrub

Growing Conditions

Light ☀ Full Sun–Part Sun
Height ▲ Up to 6 ft tall & wide
Moisture 💧 Moist–Medium
Soil ◎ Adaptable; average well-drained loam, clay, sand or rocky; tolerates calcareous soil
Bloom ❀ Summer
Color Bright yellow

Wildlife Value & Uses

Pollen-rich flowers are a bumble bee magnet; many native bees and syrphid flies; larval host for ~23 moth and butterfly species incl. azures; seed capsules feed songbirds; deer and rabbit resistant
Compact shrub with showy summer bloom and exfoliating orange-red bark; hedges slopes black-walnut tolerant. Caution: hypericin can cause photosensitivity and skin irritation; not edible

Part of These Collections

Sources & References

USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, NC Extension Gardener, Missouri Botanical Garden, Flora of Pennsylvania, Prairie Moon

Last updated: September 9, 2026