Shrubs, 1-2.5 m tall, branches spreading to subpendulous, young shoots purplish red. Stems 4-lined and ancipitous when young, soon 2-lined, sometimes becoming terete; internodes 1-3.1 cm, shorter than leaves. Leaves with petiole 1-2 mm; blade oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 2-5.5 × 1-2.2 cm, thickly papery, abaxially paler or sometimes ± densely glaucous; laminar glands dots and short streaks; abaxial glands dense; main lateral veins 3- or 4-paired, without visible tertiary reticulation; base cuneate to rounded, apex acute to obtuse or rounded-apiculate. Inflorescence 1-14-flowered, from apical node, lax; branches slender; bracts deciduous, narrowly lanceolate. Pedicels 1-1.5 cm. Flowers 2.5-4 cm in diam., stellate to shallowly cupped; buds ± broadly ovoid, apex apiculate to shortly acuminate. Sepals widely spreading to subrecurved, equal, ± narrowly lanceolate, 0.8-1.3 cm × 2-5 mm; laminar glands lines, margin entire or apically minutely denticulate with reddish margin, apex acute. Petals golden yellow, sometimes tinged red, obovate, 1.2-2 × 0.8-1.4 cm, ca. 1.5 × as long as sepals; margin entire or distally minutely denticulate, eglandular; apiculus acute. Stamen fascicles each with 30-55 stamens, longest 1-1.3 cm, ca. 0.6 × as long as petals. Ovary ovoid-conic to ovoid, 4-6 × 3-4 mm; styles 6-9.5 mm, 1.2-1.5 × as long as ovary, free, usually flexuous and ± twisted. Capsule ovoid, 1-1.5 cm × 6-8 mm. Seeds dark red-brown, ca. 1.1 mm, not carinate; testa laxly reticulate. Fl. May-Jul, fr. Aug-Sep.

Hypericum stellatum is closely related to H. lancasteri but can be recognized by the more spreading habit, the more slender inflorescence, and the relatively longer, flexuous styles.

● On slopes, thickets; 800-1400 m. Chongqing (Chengkou).