Mercurialis annua
| Annual mercury | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Mercurialis |
| Species: | M. annua
|
| Binomial name | |
| 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.[1] It is native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East[2][3] but it is known on many other continents as an introduced species.
Description
This is an annual herb growing 10 to 70 centimeters tall with oppositely arranged, stipulate oval leaves each a few centimeters long. The male flowers are borne in spikelike clusters sprouting from leaf axils, and female flowers grow at leaf axils in clusters of 2 or 3. The fruit is a bristly schizocarp 2 or 3 millimeters wide containing shiny, pitted seeds.[4][5]
The species is monoecious or androdioecious.[6]
A plant of Mercurialis annua can produce up to 135 million pollen grains.
Phytochemistry
Isorhamnetin-3-rutinoside-4′-glucoside, rutin, narcissin (Isorhamnetin 3-rutinoside), quercetin-3-(2G-glucosyl)-rutinoside and isorhamnetin-3-rutinoside-7-glucoside can be isolated from the methanolic extract of M. annua.[7] Historically, the First Nations people of eastern Canada used the juices of the plant as a balm for wounds.[8]
Distribution and habitat
Mercurialis annua grows in many types of open habitat, including disturbed areas, from sea level to 1400 m.[4][5]
References
- ^ Willich, Anthony Florian Madinger (1802). . – via Wikisource.
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Altervista Flora Italiana, Mercorella comune, ortiga muerta, urtiga-morta, Einjähriges Bingelkraut, mercuriale annuelle, Annual Mercury, Mercurialis annua L. includes photos, drawings, and a European distribution map
- ^ a b Mayfield, Mark H.; Webster, Grady L. (2016). "Mercurialis annua". Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ^ a b Messina, Antonio (2014). "Mercurialis annua". Acta plantarum. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ^ PANNELL, JOHN R.; OBBARD, DARREN J.; BUGGS, RICHARD J. A. (2004-08-01). "Polyploidy and the sexual system: what can we learn from Mercurialis annua?". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 82 (4): 547–560. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2004.00340.x. ISSN 0024-4066.
- ^ Phytochemical investigation on Mercurialis annua. R Aquino, I Behar, M D'agostino, F De Simone, O Schettino and C Pizza, doi:10.1016/0305-1978(87)90042-1
- ^ Delâge, Denys (2006). "Aboriginal Influence on the Canadians and French at the time of New France". In Christie, Gordon (ed.). Aboriginality and Governance: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Penticton Indian Reserve, British Columbia: Theytus Books. p. 35. ISBN 1894778243.
External links
- USDA Plants Profile
- "Mercurialis annua". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
- "Mercurialis annua". Plants for a Future.
- Mercurialis annua in the CalPhotos photo database, University of California, Berkeley
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