trefle.io · Taken Dec 31, 2021 by Kai Best (cc-by-sa)
Euphorbiaceae
Annual mercury
Mercurialis annua
Also known as Garden mercury, Boy's mercury, French mercury, Mercurialis annua var. transsylvanica
Native Plants · Annual · Weed · Euphorbiaceae · Self-Seeding · Toxic · Disturbed-Soil · Medicinal-History · Dioecious · Nitrogen-Indicator · Ruderal
Annual mercury is a fast-growing annual weed most commonly encountered as an unwanted garden volunteer rather than a cultivated plant. It self-seeds prolifically and can colonise disturbed or cultivated soil quickly, so remove plants before they set seed if control is desired. All parts of the plant are toxic and should not be ingested.
Growing conditions
The details behind the basics
- Daily light
- 5 hours
- Watering
- Water lightly, keeping soil evenly moist but never waterlogged · Every 7-10 days
- Maintenance
- Low
- Soil
- loam
- Soil pH
- 7–7.5
- Temperature
- -20°F to 85°F
- Cycle
- Perennial
- Propagation
- Seed
Hardiness
USDA 5a-9b
Form & growth
Mature size and habit
- Mature height
- 12 in – 3 ft
- Spread
- 2 ft
- Spacing
- 12 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Root depth
- Medium
- Flowers
- No
- Foliage
- Medium
Ecology & origin
Where it belongs and what it brings
- Native to
- Alabama, Albania, Algeria, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Ascension, Austria, Azores, Bahamas, Baleares, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Bulgaria, California, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Central European Rus, Corse
- Attracts
- Bees, Moths
Sources: trefle, usda
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