The antidepressant-like activity of crude ethanolic extracts (CEE) from four Peruvian Hypericum species (Hypericum andinum, Hypericum brevistylum, Hypericum silenoides and Hypericum laricifolium) was assessed using the forced swimming test (FST) in mice. Different doses of all CEE shortened the immobility time of mice in experimental groups, indicating that these extracts possessed a potential antidepressant-like activity. Phytochemical analyses revealed that the CEE were rich in flavonoids, principally hyperoside, and to a lesser extent, dimeric acylphloroglucinol derivatives. The phytochemical composition of Hypericum species with reported antidepressant-like activity in the FST is briefly summarized, and the importance of flavonoids with reference to the activity highlighted. © 2014 Phytochemical Society of Europe.