Characteristics: The Hypericum balearicum is one of the emblematic plants of the Balearic Islands. A beautiful endemic shrub that is relatively common to the Serra de Tramuntana, and less common in the other isles.

It is easy to recognize by its thick leaves, with undulate margins and large glands that can also be found upon the stems. The entire plant has a very characteristic aroma. The flowers are large and yellow in colour, and standout upon dark green colour of the plant.

Hypericum balearicum M. A. Curtis is the sole representative of section Psorophytum, and forms dense shrubby formations on dry rocky slopes of the Balearic Islands.

The plant is characterized by strongly glandular leaves and stems, which have a ‘warty’ appearance and a pungent resinous scent.

Although this species lacks the naphthodianthones hypericin and pseudohypericin, which lend glands of many other Hypericum species their characteristic blood-red color, previous researchers have isolated simple anthraquinone derivatives (e.g. emodin and frangulin), as well as triterpenes, flavonoids, and xanthones from the aerial material (8,10).