114 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



pound flower. Perianth 3- or 4-partite, with the segments valvate 

 in aestivation. Male flowers Avith 8 to 16 stamens. Female flowers 

 with 2 or 3 abortive stamens reduced to filaments, and a 2- rarely 

 3-lobed ovary, with as many styles as there are lobes. Capsule 2-lobed, 

 splitting into 2 cocca, each coccum 1-seeded, bursting doAvu the 

 back so as to form 2 valves ; rarely there is the addition of a third 

 coccum. 



Herbs or more rarely undershrubs, with the leaves generally oppo- 

 site, stipulate. Flowers axillary and terminal ; the male flowers in 

 glomerules, arranged in interrupted spikes or spikelike racemes; the 

 female flowers fascicled or solitary, more rarely in spikes or racemes. 



This genus of plants is said to be named after Mercury, who discovered the virtues 

 of the species. 



SPECIES I.— MERCURIALIS PERENNIS. Linn. 

 Plate MCCLXVIII. 



Perennial. Rootstock creeping. Stems simple, herbaceous. Leaves 

 shortly stalked or subsessile, ovate or ovate-lanceolate or elliptical or 

 oval, the lowest ones minute or rudimentary and distant. Male 

 flowers in small glomerules, arranged in interrupted stalked axillary 

 spikes. Female flowers in few-flowered axillarj'- stalked racemes, which 

 are often reduced to a single flower. Capsule rather large, didymous, 

 slightly roughened, thickly clothed with bristly hairs. Seeds sub- 

 globular, slightly shining, reticulated. Leaves green, thinly pube- 

 scent. 



Var. a, genuina. 



Eeich. Ic. Fh Germ, et Helv. Vol. V. Tab. CLII. Fig. 4804. 

 Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No 641. 



M. perennis, Heidi. Fl. Germ. Excurs. p. 764, and Ic. 1. c. p. 10. Koch, Sjn. Fl. 

 Germ, et Helv. ed. ii. p. 731. 



Leaves shortly stalked, ovate or ovate-lanceolate or elliptical. 



Var. 3, ovata. 



Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. V. Tab. CLI. Fig. 4803. 



M. ovata, " Hoppe and Sternh." Beich. Fl. Germ. Excurs. p. 764, and Ic. I.e. p. 9. 



Leaves subsessile or sessile, broadly-oval or ovate-oval. 



In woods, thickets, and on shady hedgebanks. Common, and gene- 

 rally distributed, except in Ireland, where it is rare. Var. ^, " Hurst 

 Pierpoint, Sussex" (Mr.' W. Mitten). 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Spring. 



