Hpericaceae

H. linarioides Bosse in Allg. Gartenzeit. 3: 99 (1835) (as 'linearioides'). Syn: H. repens sensu Jaub. & Spach, 111. Or. 1: 50, t. 26 (1842) et Boiss., Fl. Or. 1: 801 (1867) non L.; H. alpestre Stev., Verzeichn. 95 (1856) nom. prov.; H. polygoni-folium Rupr., Fl. Cauc. 247 (1869); H. perplexum Woron. in Fl. Cauc. Crit. 3(9): 33 (1906); H. karsianum (Woron.) Grossh., Fl. Kavk. 3:70 (1932)! Figure 12, p. 361.
Stems 5-33 cm, erect or ascending from a rooting and branching base, glabrous. Leaves 5-18(-3O) mm, oblong to elliptic (or more rarely narrowly ovate or lanceolate) to linear, often revolute, glabrous, scarcely glaucous but usually paler beneath, without intramarginal glands. Inflorescence narrowly cylindric to spicate, c. 5-many-flowered. Sepals oblong, obtuse or rarely apiculate to rounded, entire or with clavate black glands towards the apex only. Petals 5-12 mm. Capsule c. 6 mm, ovoid. Fl. 6-8. Rocky slopes and coniferous woodland, 1200-3000 m.
Described from material from Armenia cultivated in Berlin.
A2 Bursa: Uludağ, dementi 42! A3 Bolu: Ala Da., Kartal Kaya Tepe, 2100-2200 m, D. 37351! A4 Bolu: Aktaş S of Gerede, Hüber! A5 Kastamonu: Tosya, Mt. Bellowa, Sint. 1892: 4597! A6 Sivas: Zara to Şerefiye Y., 1550 m, Hub.-Mor. 13314! A7 Trabzon: Trabzon to Haldizan, 2850 m, Balls 567! A8 Rize: below Cimil, c. 2300 m, Bal. 1374! A9 Kars: Yalnizçam Da., above Yalnizçam, 2100-2300 m, D. 32500! B2 Kütahya: Murat Da., 1600 m, D. 36736! B4 Ankara: Elma Da. nr. Ankara, c. 1800 m, Kot te! B5 Kayseri: Karamas Da. E of Kayseri, Bal. 604! B6 Sivas: Ak Da. above Hyonk, 1800 m, Siehe 384! B7 Erzincan: Refahiye to Erzincan, 1830 m, Hub.-Mor. 12094! B8 Erzurum: Tech Da. above Erzurum, vii 1853, Hue! B10 Ağri: d. Doğubayazit, Hama Da., c. 3000 m, Baytop 4863! C5 Niğde: Bulgar Maaden, 2300 m, Siehe 550!
Jugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece, Crimea, Caucasia, N.W. Iran. A species which shows clinal variation from the broad-leaved Caucasian forms (lH. polygoni-foliuni) westward to the typical narrow-leaved form. Specimens from Kars and Erzurum have been distinguished as a separate subspecies (H. perplexum subsp. karsianum Woronow) or species. Although these plants have linear or narrowly lanceolate leaves, a narrow inflorescence and relatively short sepals with a terminal gland or eglandular mucro (as Woronow described), all these characters occur elsewhere in the range of the species, except possibly the shortness of the sepals. When correlated they provide the plant with a rather distinct facies, but not enough to give it separate taxonomic rank.