Euphorbiaceae

Annual mercury

Mercurialis annua L.

Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Mercurialis

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Annual mercury (Mercurialis annua) — FlowerPhoto: Ellen Bidulka, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (31)

aeb: حبق الظل, حبيقة الظل
Arabic: حلبوب حولي, بَقْلة, جنزير, حشيشة الزئبق, حشيشة السمك, حُرّيق أملس, خصى هرمس, خَرْبوب
arz: حلبوب حولى
Asturian: Poliegu
Azerbaijani: Birillik zöhrəotu
Bulgarian: Едногодишен пролез
Catalan: Malcoratge, Melcoratge, Morquerol
Chinese: 一年生山靛
Croatian: Jednogodišnja resulja
Czech: Bažanka roční
Dutch: Tuinbingelkruid, Eenjarig bingelkruid, Eénjarig bingelkruid
English: Annual mercury
Estonian: Üheaastane seljarohi
Finnish: Rikkasinijuuri
French: Mercuriale annuelle, Chimou
German: Einjähriges Bingelkraut
Greek: Μερκουριάλις η μονοετής
hsb: Jednolětny šćěr, Mały šćěr
Hungarian: Egynyári szélfű
kab: Tuccanin
mzn: سلمه تره
Norwegian Bokmål: Ugressbingel
pcd: Ajnoulhie, Blos, Brin·ncå, Chnoulhi, Injnoulhis, Iérpe drichòre, Iérpe fòrante, Iérpe fòreusse
Persian: شنگرفی یکساله
Polish: Szczyr roczny
Slovak: Bažanka ročná
Slovenian: Enoletni golšec
Swedish: Grenbingel
Ukrainian: Переліска однорічна
Walloon: Schitroûle
Welsh: Bresychen-y-cŵn flynyddol

Synonyms

Discoplis serrata Raf.
Mercurialis ambigua L.f.
Mercurialis annua f. ambigua (L.f.) Knoche
Mercurialis annua f. ciliata (C.Presl) Pax & K.Hoffm.
Mercurialis annua f. cordata Wirtg.
Mercurialis annua f. cuneatolanceolata Wirtg.
Mercurialis annua f. lanceolata Wirtg.
Mercurialis annua f. ovata Wirtg.
Mercurialis annua f. verticillata Bolzon
Mercurialis annua lus. ambigua (L.f.) Müll.Arg.
Mercurialis annua subsp. ambigua (L.f.) Arcang.
Mercurialis annua subsp. ambigua (L.f.) Maire
Mercurialis annua subvar. euannua Litard.
Mercurialis annua subvar. serrata Litard.
Mercurialis annua var. ambigua (L.f.) Duby
Mercurialis annua var. ambigua (L.f.) Mérat
Mercurialis annua var. angustifolia Gaudin
Mercurialis annua var. camberiensis Chabert
Mercurialis annua var. capillacea Guépin
Mercurialis annua var. dioica Moris
Mercurialis annua var. genuina Müll.Arg.
Mercurialis annua var. intermixta Merino
Mercurialis annua var. laciniata Müll.Arg.
Mercurialis annua var. monoica Moris
Mercurialis annua var. sancti-marini Pamp.
Mercurialis annua var. transsylvanica Schur
Mercurialis annua var. typica Fiori
Mercurialis annua var. urticiformis Sennen & Pau
Mercurialis annua var. variegata Löhr
Mercurialis ciliata C.Presl
Mercurialis ladanum Hartm.
Mercurialis monoica (Moris) R.Durand & B.Durand
Mercurialis pinnatifida Sennen
Mercurialis tarraconensis Sennen
Synema annuum Dulac

Flowers

In flower: all year (from 1,205 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Annual
In the US and Canada: Canada: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Ellen Bidulka, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Ruslan Salimgareev, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Daniel Linzbauer, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Michael Becker, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: zebedeugalinha, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: zebedeugalinha, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: zebedeugalinha, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: zebedeugalinha, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

More in Mercurialis

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.