Mercurialis Annua, Annual* or French Mercury^ 



MERCURIALIS Lin. Gen. PL Dioecia Enneandria. 



Masc. Cal. 3-partitus. Cor. o. Stam. 9-f. 12. Antherce gibbofse 

 didymae. 



F--EM. Cal. 3-partitus. Cor. o. Styli 2. Cap/, dicocca, 2-lociilarisj 

 l-fpcrma. 



MERCURIALIS annua caule brachiato, foliis glabris, floribus fpicatis. Liii. Syft. Vegetab. p. 746; 

 Spec. PL p. 1465. 



MERCURIALIS caule annuo, brachiato, foliis conjugatis^ ovato lanceolatis, glabris. Halter hifi* 

 n. 1600. 



MERCURIALIS Cynocrambe Scopoli Fl. Cam. n. 1226. 



MERCURIALIS tefticulata, five mas Diofc. et Plinii. Bauhinpin. 121, 



MERCURIALIS fpicata, five faemina, Diofc. et Plinii. Bauhinpin. 121. 



MERCURIALIS vulgaris mas et femina. Park. 295. 



MERCURIALIS mas et femina. Ger. emac. 332. 



MERCURIALIS annua glabra vulgaris. RaiiSyn. p. 139. French Mercury, the male and female^ 

 Hud/on. FL Angl. ed. 2. p. 435. 



RADIX annua, fibrofa, alba. f ROOT annual, fibrous, of a white colour. 



CAULIS pedalis ad fefquipedalem, ereclus, glaber, % STALK a foot or a foot and a half high, upright, 



adbafinufqueramofus,geniculatus, geniculis h fmooth, branched quite to the bottom,, 



incraffatis, fubcomprefiis, anceps, idque j jointed, the joints fwelled, and fomewhat 



alterne. J flattened, a prominent line runs on each 



fide of the ftalk, from one joint to another, 

 I and that alternately. 



RAMI alterne oppofiti, foliofi, cauli fubfimiles. I BRANCHES alternately oppofite, leafy, fomewhat 



I like the ftalk. 



FOLIA oppofita, petiolata, ovata, obtufiufcula, pa- | LEAVES oppofite,. ftanding on footftalks, ovate, 



tentia, bafi biglandulofa, obtufe ferrata, ad f bluntilh, fpreading, having two glands at 



lentem ciliata, utrinque glabra, lucidiufcula, I the bafe, obtufely ferrated, if magnified 



venofa. | edged with hairs, fmooth on each fide, 



% fomewhat glofty, and veiny. 



PETIOLI foliis multo breviores, glabri, fupra cana- { LEAF-STALKS much fhorter than the leaves, 



liculati. j fmooth, channelled above. 



STIPULE quatuor, ad genicula, utrinque binse, I STIPULE four at each joint, two on each fide, very 



minimse. I minute. 



PEDUNCULI florum mafc. axillares, oppofiti, ereai, | FLOWER-STALKS of the male flowers axillary, 

 nudi, filiformes, foliis longiores, fubtetra- | oppofite, upright, naked, filiform, longer 



goni, fuperne proferentes glomerulos plures f than the leaves, fomewhat four-cornered, 



florum, feffiles, odore fambuci. | producing towards the top, feveral round, 



•I feffile, fmall clufters of flowers, having the 



f fmell of elder. 



CALYX : Perianthium tripartitum, foliolis ovatis, J CALYX : a Perianthium deeply divided into three 

 acutis, patentibus, Jig. 1. | fegments, which are ovate, pointed, and 



I fpreading, fig. 1. 



COROLLA nulla. f COROLLA wanting. 



STAMINA: Filamenta plerumque novem, alba, | STAMINA: generally nine Filaments, white and 

 capillaria; Anthers didymae, flavas,^. 2. { very fine ; Anthers double, and yellow j 



f fig- 2 - 



FLORES F^LMINEI m diftinaa planta. % FEMALE FLOWERS on a feparate plant, 



PEDUNCULI axillares, foliis breviores, faepius biflori, { FLOWER-STALKS axillary, {horter than the leaves, 

 inter flores faemineos aliquando obfervatur J generally fuflaining two flowers ; among the 



mafculus imperfeclus, longius producrus. | female flowers we fometimes find an imper- 



f feci; male flower Handing on a longer foot- 



| ftalk. 



CALYX ut in mare, nifi quod foliola paulo minora, | CALYX as in the male, except that the leaves are a 

 fig- 3. I little fmaller, Jig. 3. 



COROLLA nulla. | COROLLA wanting. 



NECTARIA duo, fubulata, utrinque ad latus ger- j NECTARIES two, tapering, one growing firigly on 

 minis folitaria, fig. 4. | each fide of the germen, fig. 4. 



PISTILLUM : Germen fubrotundum, didymum, § PISTILLUM : Germen roundifb', double, flattened, 

 compreffum, hifpidum ; Stylus vix'ullus ; | hifpid ; Style fcarce any ; Stigmata two, 



Stigmata duo, fubulata, patentia, longitu- J tapering, fpreading, on the upper fide hifpid 



dinaliter fuperne hifpida, fig. 5. # length wife, fig. 5. 



PERICARPIUM: Capsula didyma, echhinata, bilo- | SEED-VESSEL a twin Capsule, prickly, having 

 cularis. " . e$ two cavities. 



SEMEN unicum in fingulo loculamento globofum, j SEED one in each cavity, globular, chefnut coloured 

 extus caftaneum, intus album. | without, white' within. 



We can difcover no fatisfaclory reafon for calling this fpecies by the name of French Mercury, as it is not 

 peculiar to France, but found with us, in a variety of places : Ray mentions it as growing plentifully on the 

 fea-beach, near Ryde, in the Ifle of Wight ; and Parkinson, near a village called Brookeland, in Romney- 

 Marfb, Kent: it would appear to be more common now than formerly, as we very frequently meet with it 

 in wafle places, by the fides of roads, and in neglected gardens, in the' neip-hourhood of London. 



, The 



