St John’s wort
Original title: Hipericão
Describes the two St John's wort species (Hypericum perforatum and H. humifusum) known in Madeira as hipericão, both common on the island and used in infusions for kidney and bladder complaints.
This name is given to Hypericum perforatum and H. humifusum, perennial plants of the family Hypericaceae, with yellow flowers and small translucent dots on the leaves. The first of these species, which is also called herva-de-São João and malfurada, has firm, often erect stems and narrow leaves, linear-oblong or elliptical and distinctly pointed. The second has thread-like, prostrate stems and small leaves, ovate or oblong and more or less blunt. Both species are common in Madeira, and an infusion of their leaves is recommended for diseases of the kidneys and bladder. Hypericum androsaemum does not occur in Madeira.