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Mercury (plant)
Encyclopedia
Mercurialis mərˌkjʊəriˈælɨs is a genus of plant
s in the family
Euphorbiaceae
, the spurges, known commonly as the mercuries. These are slender herb
s (forb
s), rhizomatious
perennials
and woody perennials. There are 8 to 10 Europe
an species
(depending on classification) and 1 Asia
n species.
Species include:
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the Spurge family are a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti....
, the spurges, known commonly as the mercuries. These are slender herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s (forb
Forb
A forb is a herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid . The term is used in biology and in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands and understory.-Etymology:...
s), rhizomatious
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennials
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
and woody perennials. There are 8 to 10 Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
(depending on classification) and 1 Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n species.
Species include:
- Mercurialis annuaMercurialis annuaMercurialis 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...
- Annual mercury - Mercurialis huetii
- Mercurialis corsica
- Mercurialis canariensis
- Mercurialis elliptica
- Mercurialis reverchonii
- Mercurialis tomentosa
- Mercurialis perennis - Dog's mercury
- Mercurialis ovata
- Mercurialis leiocarpa