Dog's mercury Facts
Dog's mercury Facts
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| Interesting Dog's mercury Facts: |
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| Dog's mercury produces several, unbranched, light green, four-sided stems that can reach 10 to 16 inches in height. Entire plant changes color to blue after drying. |
| Dog's mercury has oval leaves with toothed edges. They are bluish green colored and have coarse texture. Leaves are oppositely arranged on the stem. |
| Crushed and decomposing leaves of dog's mercury emit foul odor that resembles the smell of rotten fish. |
| Dog's mercury has small, yellowish green flowers that grow from the axils of leaves. Dog's mercury is dioecious plant, which means that male and female flowers develop on the separate plants. Male plants are more common in the wild. |
| Dog's mercury blooms during the spring, usually from April to May. Flowers are designed for the pollination by wind. |
| Fruit of dog's mercury is hairy capsule filled with seed. |
| Dog's mercury propagates via seed and root division. |
| Dog's mercury was named after Roman God Mercury, who allegedly discovered healing properties of this plant. Prefix "dog" was used to denote that plant is not edible and to distinguish dog's mercury from other plants that have term "mercury" in their name (such as garden mercury or English mercury). |
| Foul-smelling sap of dog's mercury was used as antiseptic (to prevent growth of harmful microorganisms) and in treatment of warts, deafness, earache, jaundice and wounds in the past. |
| Modern studies showed that dog's mercury contains highly toxic compounds and it is no longer used in herbal medicine. Exposure to high temperatures and drying of dog's mercury can reduce toxicity of this plant. |
| Consumption of dog's mercury (when confused with spinach or brooklime) can induce nausea, vomiting, convulsions, lethargy and even death in children. |
| Dog's mercury is also poisonous for animals. Sheep, cattle and many other animals will experience liver and kidney damage after consumption of dog's mercury. |
| Dog's mercury was used for the preparation of witches' ointment during the Middle Ages. |
| Leaves and stalk of dog's mercury can be used as source of blue dye. Obtained color can be changed to red after exposure to acids. |
| Dog's mercury is perennial plant, which means that it can survive more than 2 years in the wild. |
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