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Hypericum elegans Stephan ex Willd.

Flora Europaea perennial, H, 2n=32, tetraploid xeric to mesoxeric steppe and forest-steppe species continental Eurasian Festucion valesiacae, Quercetalia pubescentis (in our opinion not also in Geranion sanguinei as reported by some authors) R34, R4160-4163 habitats       This is a steppe xeric St. John's wort with pale yellow flowers very different from all the other species of the genus from our flora. Unfortunately the species is quite rare. Pusta Bagaului valley steep sunny slope, near Cisteiu de Mures, Alba county, 13th of July 2006. Actually most of the pictures below are comparisons between individuals of Hypericum elegans Stephan (the ones with pale yellow flowers) and Hypericum perforatum L. (the ones with deep yellow flowers). The two species grow frequently together in the steppe xeric and mesoxeric grasslands from Transylvania, but Hypericum elegans is rarer. dr. Alexandru Badarau, alexandru@transsilvanica.com