Flower profile

Fourpetal St. johnswort

Hypericum tetrapetalum

Fourpetal St. johnswort (Hypericum tetrapetalum) is a shrub in the Hypericaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–October across the U.S.

Native to Florida

Fourpetal St. johnswort is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Florida it's most often seen in bloom in March–October.

2states where USDA records it

5,557FL sightings*

5,674U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Florida

Quick look

Hypericum tetrapetalum, the fourpetal St. Johnswort, is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is found in the Southeastern United States and Cuba. It was first described by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1797.
From Wikipedia's article Hypericum tetrapetalum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Hypericaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 2 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Florida. ^NatureServe
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–October. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 5,557 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #33 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Florida, most flowering sightings come in March–October.

Flowering records by month in Florida (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (430 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S5, secure in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Hypericum perforatum (“Klamath Weed”), as toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records fourpetal St. johnswort in 2 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Florida, Georgia.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Taylor, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, Washington.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Ascyrum tetrapetalum.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 67 counties across 2 states; the most are in Florida (55), Georgia (12).

Other Hypericum on Bloomipedia (4): Common St. John's wort, St. Andrew's cross, Roundpod St. john's-wort, Golden St. John's wort.

More Florida flowers

Roundpod St. john's-wort

Hypericum cistifolium

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🌼 Blooms in FL: May–July

White beggarticks

Bidens alba

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🌼 Blooms in FL: January–March

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

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🌼 Blooms in FL: May–July

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile HYTE4.
iNaturalist, Hypericum tetrapetalum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Hypericum tetrapetalum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Hypericum tetrapetalum (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Andrew Conboy via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.