Mercurialis annua

Mercurialis annua
Mercurialis annua
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Mercurialis
Species: M. annua
Binomial name
Mercurialis annua
L.

Mercurialis annua is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family known by the common name annual mercury. It is native to Europe but it is known on many other continents as an introduced species. It grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. This is an annual herb growing 10 to 30 centimeters tall with oppositely arranged oval leaves each a few centimeters long. The plant is mostly dioecious with male and female plants producing different types of inflorescence, Mercurialis annua can also be found to be monooecious or hermaphrodite, their complicated sexuality makes them the ideal model plant for studying sexual systems in plants.

The male flowers are borne in spikelike clusters sprouting from leaf axils, and female flowers grow in clusters of 2 or 3. Neither type of flower has petals. The fruit is a bristly capsule 2 or 3 millimeters wide containing shiny, pitted seeds.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mercurialis annua —   Mercurialis annua …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mercurialis annua — Mercuriale annuelle Mercuriale annuelle …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mercurialis annua — Einjähriges Bingelkraut Einjähriges Bingelkraut, männliche Pflanze Systematik Klasse …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mercurialis annua — Mercury Mer cu*ry, n. [L. Mercurius; akin to merx wares.] 1. (Rom. Myth.) A Latin god of commerce and gain; treated by the poets as identical with the Greek Hermes, messenger of the gods, conductor of souls to the lower world, and god of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mercurialis annua — Mercury Mer cu*ry, n. [L. Mercurius; akin to merx wares.] 1. (Rom. Myth.) A Latin god of commerce and gain; treated by the poets as identical with the Greek Hermes, messenger of the gods, conductor of souls to the lower world, and god of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mercurialis annua — vienametis laiškenis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Karpažolinių šeimos vaistinis nuodingas augalas (Mercurialis annua), paplitęs šiaurės Afrikoje, Europoje ir pietvakarių Azijoje. atitikmenys: lot. Mercurialis annua angl. annual mercury;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Mercurialis annua — boys and girls oys and girls n. (Bot.) a Eurafrican annual ({Mercurialis annua}) naturalized in America as a weed; formerly dried for use as a purgative, diuretic or antisyphilitic. Syn: herb mercury, herbs mercury. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mercurialis annua — ID 53300 Symbol Key MEAN Common Name annual mercury Family Euphorbiaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Introduced to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution AL, CA, DC, DE, IL, MA, MD, ME, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC Growth Habit… …   USDA Plant Characteristics

  • Mercurialis annua — noun Eurafrican annual naturalized in America as a weed; formerly dried for use as a purgative, diuretic or antisyphilitic • Syn: ↑herb mercury, ↑herbs mercury, ↑boys and girls • Hypernyms: ↑herb, ↑herbaceous plant • Member Holonyms …   Useful english dictionary

  • Mercurialis annua L. — Symbol MEAN Common Name annual mercury Botanical Family Euphorbiaceae …   Scientific plant list

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