Hypericum mexicanum

Native from central Colombia to northwestern Venezuela, this small shrub or subshrub grows in Andean highland grasslands and páramo shrubland. Its opposite, resinous leaves have translucent glandular dots. Solitary yellow flowers appear at the stem tips, followed by rounded capsules that split open when mature. In Colombia, it occurs between about 5,600 and 13,800 feet and can occupy relatively dry, well-drained soils. Its capacity for vegetative regrowth and forming seed banks makes it useful in restoring disturbed páramo vegetation. Photographed at the Páramo de Berlín, Colombia.