''Mercurialis'' is a genus of

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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 Euphorbia, the type genus of the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', ar ...

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

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

s (

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

s), rhizomatious

perennials In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

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.
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Mercurialis annua ''Mercurialis annua'', annual mercury, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to the Middle East and the Mediterranean region, where it grows on bare, sandy soils. Its seeds are dispersed by harvester an ...

'' 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 Mercurialis or variants may refer to: * ''Mercurialis'' (plant), a genus of plants in the family Euphorbiaceae * Girolamo Mercuriale or Mercuriali (1530–1606), Italian philologist and physician * Mercurialis of Forlì () (died c. 406), bishop o ...

'' 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 Mercurialis or variants may refer to: * ''Mercurialis'' (plant), a genus of plants in the family Euphorbiaceae * Girolamo Mercuriale or Mercuriali (1530–1606), Italian philologist and physician * Mercurialis of Forlì () (died c. 406), bishop o ...

'' Rouy – Spain, Morocco # ''

Mercurialis tomentosa Mercurialis or variants may refer to: * Mercurialis (plant), ''Mercurialis'' (plant), a genus of plants in the family Euphorbiaceae * Girolamo Mercuriale or Mercuriali (1530–1606), Italian philologist and physician * Mercurialis of Forlì () (di ...

'' 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 the ...

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.Jussieu, Adrien Henri Laurent de. 1824. De Euphorbiacearum Generibus Medicisq ...

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 ...

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 The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shi ...

Seidelia ''Seidelia'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1858. The genus is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nati ...

Speranskia )''

References

External links

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