Dog's Mercury - Mercurialis perennis
Description
Low to short rhizomatous hairy plant. Leaves lanceolate stalked, crowded towards the stem tops. Flowers greenish 4 to 5 mm, the female solitary or 2 to 3 together, the male in long tassel-like spikes.
Identification difficulty

Habitat
Shaded habitats, woods, hedge bottoms.
When to see it
February to April
Life History
Perennial
UK Status
Common throughout much of Britain, but rare in northern Scotland and in Ireland.
VC55 Status
Quite common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 259 of the 617 tetrads.
In the current checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as Native, locally abundant
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015