Common name: Dog's Mercury
Scientific name: Mercurialis perennis 多年生山靛
Genus: Mercurialis 山靛屬
Family: Euphorbiaceae 大戟科, spurge family
Remarks: The plant's common name derives from the plant's resemblance to the unrelated Blitum bonus-henricus, Amaranthaceae 莧科 (Good King Henry, also known as mercury, markry, markery, Lincolnshire spinach). Since Mercurialis perennis is highly poisonous, it was named "dog's" mercury (in the sense of "false" or "bad").
It is dioecious 雌雄異株, i.e. it is having male flowers on one plant and female flowers on another plant of the same species.
Origin: native
Date: 28th March
An erect, unbranched perennial, can reach to 40 cm tall. All are male plants there.
Catkin-like spikes (the male inflorescence)
Leaves opposite.
underside of the leaf
Flower buds and flowers (enlarged below)
The top flower open while the other below are still in flower buds stage.
enlarged below to see the side view of a flower
side view of a flower
enlarged below to see the front view of flowers
2 flowers opened (a bit overlapped with each other)
enlarged below to see the front view of a flower again
A male flower: 3 tepals (sepals ) and several stamens
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