MERCURIALIS ANNUA

Family and Genus:- See- EUPHORBIACEAE

Common Names:- Annual mercury

Homotypic Synonyms:- Mercurialis annua subvar. euannua, Mercurialis

annua var. genuina, Mercurialis annua var. typica, Synema annuum.

Meaning:- Mercurialis (L) Of-the-God-Mercury.

Annua (L) Annual.

General description:- Short to medium, hairless or slightly hairy annual.

Stems:-

1) 0-50 cm. branched from the base.

Leaves:-

1) Opposite, 1,5-5 cm. long, oval to lanceolate, margins crenate-serrate, petiole, 2-

1,5-5 cm. long,

Flower:-

1) Male and female flowers on separate plants;

a) male, in upright, stalked spikes, greenish.

b) female, few, 3-4 mm, in small lateral clusters.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, 2-3 x (2-)3-4 mm, hispid, rarely glabrous.

2) Seed, c. 2 mm, ovoid, somewhat rugulose.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Key features:-

1) Glabrous or sparsely hairy.

2) Without a thick woody stock.

Habitat:- Open dry shrubby vegetation, field margins, olive groves, wasteground. 0-

800 m.

Distribution:- Widespread and common throughout the Mediterranean. Widespread

and common on Crete.

Flowering time:- Mar-June and sporadically almost throughout the year.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton