This low shrub is fairly common in dry woods of the Mountains and Piedmont of North Carolina, occasional in the northern third of the Coastal Plain. Similar to the closely related Hypericum hypericoides (also known as St. Andrew's Cross), but with a more sprawling habit. The narrow leaves are widest towards the tip, while those of H. hypericoides are wider towards the middle. The four narrow petals of the bright yellow flowers form a cross.

The USDA PLANTS database lists this species as Hypericum hypericoides (L.) Crantz ssp. multicaule (Michx. ex Willd.) N. Robson. Radford's Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas misspelled the name as Hypericum stragalum.

Caswell Co., NC 5/30/10.