Bloomipedia
St. Andrew's cross (Hypericum hypericoides)
Photo: Elias via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

St. Andrew's cross

Hypericum hypericoides

Native in the lower 48

St. Andrew's cross is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–November.

25states
4of our state lists
10,217U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina

Quick look

Hypericum hypericoides, commonly called St. Andrew's cross, is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is native to the Southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Its preferred habitat is dry woods on acidic soil.

  • 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 25 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Mississippi. NatureServe
  • In Georgia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–October. iNaturalist
  • In Alabama, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–November. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 995 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #91 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 747 research-grade sightings of it in Alabama, ranking #75 among the 111 flowers on our Alabama list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 498 research-grade sightings of it in South Carolina, ranking #71 among the 111 flowers on our South Carolina list. iNaturalist

St. Andrew's cross gift ideas

Handmade st. andrew's cross gifts from independent makers.

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    St. Andrew's cross art print

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,053 records)
Bloom time in each of our 4 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
GeorgiaNativeJune–October995
AlabamaNativeJuly–November747
South CarolinaNativeJuly–October498
MississippiNativeApril–November497

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
Georgia
Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09
Alabama
No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alabama.
South Carolina
No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Mississippi
No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
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 edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets. 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 st. Andrew's cross in 25 states plus Washington, D.C.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Ben Hill, Bulloch, Butts, Charlton, Chatham, Chattooga, Clarke, Coffee, Colquitt, Columbia, Coweta, Crawford, Dade, Dawson, DeKalb, Dooly, Early, Elbert, Emanuel, Floyd, Forsyth, Glynn, Gordon, Grady, Greene, Gwinnett, Hall, Hancock, Harris, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Liberty, Lincoln, Long, Lowndes, Lumpkin, Macon, Madison, McIntosh, Meriwether, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Murray, Muscogee, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Rabun, Stephens, Sumter, Talbot, Tattnall, Taylor, Telfair, Toombs, Towns, Treutlen, Union, Walton, Ware, Washington, Wayne, Wheeler, White, Whitfield, Worth.

Alabama counties with USDA records: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Cullman, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston.

South Carolina counties with USDA records: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg, York.

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Sources