lis EUPHOEBIACE.^ 



on different plants ; peinanth small, S-cleft to the base ; barren flower with 

 8 or more stamens ; fertile flower Avith 2 styles ; ovary 2-lolied ; capsnle 

 2-celled, 2-seeded. Name in honour of the god Mercury, who is said to ha^'e 

 discovered the virtues which were attributed to the plant. 



2. Spurge (EtiphorJAa). — Involucre bell-shaped, containing many barren 

 flowers or stamens, and 1 fertile flower or pistil ; ovary 3-loI)ed ; styles 3 ; 

 stigmas 2-cleft ; capsule 3-celled, 3-seedcd. Name from Euphorl)us, physician 

 to Juba, King of Mauritania, he having first used the plant medicinally. 



3. Box {Biixus). — Stamens and pistils in separate flowers on the same 

 plant ; perianth 4-cleft to the base ; barren flower with 1 bract ; stamens 4 ; 

 fertile flower with 3 bracts ; styles 3 ; capsules with 3 horns, 3-celled ; cells 

 2-seeded. Name changed from pijxos, the Clreek name for this tree. 



1. Mercury {Mercmidlis). 



1. Perennial or Dog's Mercury (i¥. perdnnis). — Stem unbranched ; 

 flowers in lax axillary spikes ; barren flowers on long stalks ; leaves egg- 

 shaped, serrated, stalked, somewhat rough ; rootstock creeping, perennial. 

 This plant is well known to all who observe the common things around 

 them. Sometimes it is to be seen growing in great abundance on the hedge- 

 row or in the wood ; and those who have gardens see, in early spring, 

 numbers of its light green leaves, with almost whitish veins, developing 

 themselves upon the flower-bed ; and the foliage, as it grows older, becomes 

 of a much deeper bluish-green. The plant is about a foot high, liearing its 

 leaves chiefly on the upper part of the stems, several of which arise from its 

 creeping rootstock. During April, May, and June, the green floAvers grow 

 in loose spikes from among the leaves, and the long-stalked barren ones are 

 conspicuous by their numerous stamens. From the growth of the plant in 

 towns and town gardens, it is sometimes called ToAvn-Aveed ; and in Kent it 

 is knoAvn as Kentish Balsam, from the similarity of the leaf to that of the 

 garden Balsam. The old herbalists called it Dog's Cole and Cynocrambe. 

 The French term it Mercuriale ; the Germans, Bingelkrauf ; the Italians, 

 MercoreUo ; and the Kussians, Prolesht. It is very poisonous both to man 

 and the inferior animals, and many cases are recorded of serious illness 

 having resulted from eating this plant in mistake for one of the goosefoots. 

 Sheep sometimes suffer from eating this plant. It is observed that the 

 stamen-bearing and pistil-bearing plants generally groAv each in separate 

 patches, so that the Mercury produces comparatively fcAV seeds, and is chiefly 

 propagated by the roots. The leaves on drying become of a blue colour. 

 It aftbrds a fine deep blue tint, Avhich is, hoAvever, destroyed by acids or 

 alkalies. 



2. Annual Mercury (M. dnnua). — Fertile flowers A\'horled, nearly 

 sessile ; stem Avith opposite branches ; leaves smooth ; annual. In one form 

 of this species the fertile and barren flowers are on distinct plants, the leaves 

 egg-shaped or oblong, and the flowers in lax spikes : in another form, the 

 barren and fertile floAvers are intermixed, and groAV in whorls, \A^hile the 

 leaves are lanceolate. This species is not frequent, though often groAving in 

 the neighbourhood of English towns and villages in abundance ; it is rare in 

 Ireland, and is found only casually in Scotland, It is taller than the pre- 



