Ripening time of the berries: August to September
After Heyday, which usually lasts from June to August, the St. John's wort develops its fruits. They mature between August and September. They can stay on the plant well into winter before they slowly dry up and disappear.
also read
- Giersch: maturation time, appearance and characteristics of the seeds
- Knowledge of the seeds of St. John's wort
- The lily of the valley bears red berries from August
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:
- narrowly ovate to fusiform
- almost round
- 10 mm tall (the size of a pea)
- smooth shell
- bald
The fruits are triple split capsules. They are mostly colored coral red. The red creates a nice contrast to the green leaves. This means that St. John's wort has a certain ornamental value even 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 become 1 mm long. They are curved and finely reticulated. You can use the seeds
sow. But be careful: They are light germs!Berries are inedible
Even if the berries look delicious with their red color - they are not edible. That 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. Gradually they turn red to reddish brown. Some specimens are even colored glossy black when fully ripe. This includes, for example, Hypericum androsaemum. The berries of this species are initially light yellow in color. Hypericum elatum, on the other hand, develops pink berry fruits.
Tips
It is best not to let the plant get to its berries in the first place. The fruits with the contained Seeds remove many nutrients / strength from St. John's wort.
