There are 11 species of Hypericum in Crete (all with the common name of St John’s worts) of which five are endemic.
Hypericum empetrifolium is represented in Crete by three races: the most common is subsp. empetrifolium. It is a large, erect plant that can be over 1 meter tall. and it groves from sea level to about 800 m in garigue and woodland. It is not an endemic but cam also be found in the eastern Mediterranean. It flowers from March until June.
The other two subspecies are Cretan endemics: subsp. oliganthum and the high altitude subsp. tortuosum which grows above 1300 m.
