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Mercurialis annua
About
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 ants, which remove an oily coating that delays germination. In recent centuries, annual mercury has spread to northern Europe and many other parts of the world as an agricultural and urban weed. It has been studied for its complex genetics and breeding system. The name is from the Roman god Mercury, due to its association with fertility.
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
Ecology
How it lives
- Propagated by
- Seed
Full detailsevery field on the record, to copy
- Name
- Mercurialis annua
- Slug
- mercurialis-annua
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
- Genus
- Mercurialis
- Species
- annua
- Wikidata QID
- Q163949
- Propagule type
- seed
- Container suitable
- No
- Indoor suitable
- No
- OSSI pledged
- No
- Hazard level
- 1
- Data completeness
- 43
Generated sections & citations
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