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Mercurialis perennis - dog’s mercury

Dog’s mercury grows wild in groves in the southernmost parts of Finland but will, if planted, also grow further north so long the conditions are right. This means shade and humous soil. It may then form a good deep-green groundcover. It produces a lush foliage and the delicate light-green flowers are particularly attractive in early spring. It is most noticeable in the Rhododendron Valley when it is in flower. Later in the summer it may pass unnoticed as larger plants demand more room.

Dog’s mercury spreads by underground rhizomes. It is dioecious, meaning that each plant carries only male or female flowers. Due to its vegetative propagation, even large communities may be exclusively male or female.