Mercurialis annua
| Mercurialis annua | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Mercurialis annua (common name: annual mercury)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ.
Cultivation: A common garden weed in Britain, it should need little encouragement. When well suited, it tends to spread itself around too freely for most people's tastes[1]. It dislikes growing in shady positions.
Plants are normally dioecious, though monoecious plants are sometimes found[1]. Male and female plants must normally be grown if seed is required.
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to the Mediterranean. Azores.
Habitat: Waste places[2]. A common weed of cultivated soils, but it avoids acid soils[3].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked[4][1][5][6]. They were at one time quite popular, being used like spinach[1]. The acrid principle is said to be destroyed by thoroughly boiling the leaves[1]. The raw leaves are poisonous[5]. It is probably wise not to eat the leaves of this plant[7].
Medicinal: The whole plant, and especially the juice, is emetic, emollient and purgative. It is used externally to treat women's complaints, ear and eye problems, warts and sores[1][7].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[7]. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism, dropsy, diarrhoea and disorders of the gall bladder and liver[7].
Usage: This species is a potential source of a very good drying oil[8].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Dioecious
Known Hazards: The plant is poisonous, but less so than the perennial M. perennis[1][9][5][10].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Freethy, Ron. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press, 1985.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.