Almost everyone has probably seen St. John's wort in full bloom. But what happens afterwards if the old flowers are not cut off? What kind of fruits form?
What do St. John's wort berries look like and are they edible?
St. John's wort develops berry-like fruits after the flowering period from June to August, which ripen between August and September. They are pea-sized, coral red and contain small, curved seeds. Although inedible, they are not poisonous.
Ripening time 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 ripen between August and September. They can remain on the plant until winter before they slowly dry out and disappear.
This is what the fruits look like
The fruits are vaguely reminiscent of berries from a cranberry bush. One berry appears per stem. They have the following external characteristics:
- narrow ovoid to fusiform
- almost round
- 10 mm large (pea size)
- smooth shell
- bald
The fruits are three-fold capsules. They are mostly colored coral red. The red creates a nice contrast to the green leaves. This means that St. John's wort still has a certain decorative value in autumn.
Take a look at the seeds
If you open the berry-like fruits, you will see that they are fleshy. The seeds are in the capsules. These are 1 mm long. They are curved and finely reticulated. You can sow the seeds. But be careful: they are light germinators!
Berries are inedible
Even if the berries look delicious with their red color - they are not edible. This means that they are not very tasty. They contain bitter substances. However, these fruits are not poisonous.
The color changes
At first the berries are extremely inconspicuous with their green color. They gradually turn red to reddish brown. Some specimens are even shiny black when fully ripe. These include, for example, Hypericum androsaemum. The berries of this species are initially light yellow in color. Hypericum elatum, on the other hand, produces pink berries.
Tip
It is best not to allow the plant to develop its berries in the first place. The fruits with the seeds they contain extract a lot of nutrients/power from St. John's wort.