MERCURY

(genus Mercurialis), group of eight annual and perennial weedy flowering-plant species of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa but naturalized in North America. Herb mercury (M. annua) grows as a weed in cultivated areas and shaded woods. Dog's mercury (M. perennis; see ), which is malodorous and poisonous to livestock, grows wild in European woodlands. Its leaves are the source of an unstable blue dye. The clusters of small, green, nonpetaled male and female flowers are borne on separate plants; pollination is by wind. Three-seeded mercury, also in this family, is the annual weed Acalypha virginica.