''Mercurialis'' is a genus of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...

, the spurges, known commonly as the mercuries. These are slender

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s (

forb A forb or phorb is an herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid (grass, sedge, or rush). The term is used in biology and in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands and understory. Typically these are dicots without woo ...

s), rhizomatious

perennials A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

and woody perennials, native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia.Flora of China Vol. 11 Page 247 山靛属 shan dian shu ''Mercurialis'' Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 1035. 1753.
/ref> ;Species # ''

Mercurialis annua ''Mercurialis annua'' is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae known by the common name annual mercury or (rarely) French mercury. It is native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East but it is known on many other c ...

'' L. – most of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East (from Turkey to Iran and Qatar), and islands of the eastern Atlantic (Canary Islands, Azores, Madeira, etc.) # '' Mercurialis canariensis'' Obbard & S.A.Harris – Canary Islands # '' Mercurialis corsica'' Coss. & Kralik – Corsica, Sardinia # '' Mercurialis elliptica'' Lam. – Spain, Portugal, Morocco # '' Mercurialis huetii'' Hanry – Spain, France, Morocco # '' Mercurialis leiocarpa'' Siebold & Zucc. – China, Japan, Korea, Ryukyu Islands, Thailand, Assam, Bhutan, Nepal # '' Mercurialis × longifolia'' Lam. – Spain, Portugal, France ''(M. annua × M. tomentosa)'' # '' Mercurialis ovata'' Sternb. & Hoppe – C + E Europe and SW Asia from Germany + Italy to Russia + Syria # '' Mercurialis × paxii'' Graebn. – C + E Europe from Germany to Crimea ''(M. ovata × M. perennis)'' # ''

Mercurialis perennis ''Mercurialis perennis'', commonly known as dog's mercury, is a poisonous woodland plant found in much of Europe as well as in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland.Mercurialis reverchonii'' Rouy – Spain, Morocco # '' Mercurialis tomentosa'' L. – Spain, Portugal, France, Balearic Islands ;formerly included transferred to other genera ''(

Acalypha ''Acalypha'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole genus of the subtribe Acalyphinae. It is one of the largest euphorb genera, with approximately 450 to 462 species. The genus name ''Acalypha'' is from th ...

Adenocline ''Adenocline'' is a genus of plants, under the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1843. It is native to southern Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi).Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and ...

Claoxylon ''Claoxylon'' is a flowering plant genus in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, comprising dioecious subshrubs to small trees. It was first described as a genus in 1824. The genus is distributed in paleotropical areas: Madagascar through South and ...

Leidesia ''Leidesia'' is a monotypic plant genus in the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1866. The sole species is ''Leidesia procumbens''. The species is widespread in Southern Africa as far north as Democratic Republic of the Congo. T ...

Micrococca ''Micrococca'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae, first described in 1849. It is native to tropical Africa, Madagascar and Asia (Old World Tropics).Barberá, P., Velayos, M. & Aedo, C. (2013). Annotated checklist and identification key ...

Seidelia ''Seidelia'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1858. The genus is endemic to Southern Africa (South Africa and Namibia).Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliogr ...

Speranskia ''Speranskia'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described in 1858. It is the only genus of the subtribe Speranskiinae. The entire genus is endemic to China. ;Species # '' Speranskia cantonensis'' (Hance) Pax & K.Hoffm. - Hubei, ...

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Mercurialis annua female male plant IMG 5402

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentGRIN Genus Profile
Acalypheae Euphorbiaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Euphorbiaceae-stub