Three-seeded mercury (Engl.)

Mostly monoecious herbs, shrubs , and trees. Height: Growing around 2 meters tall. Leaves: The leaves are mostly alternate but may be opposite or whorled and they are simple , or compound , or sometimes highly reduced. Stipules are generally present but may be reduced to hairs , glands or spines. Flowers: The flowers are unisexual and usually actinomorphic . They may be highly reduced by suppression of parts, in the extreme form consisting of a naked stamen as a male flower and a naked pistil as a female flower. Male flowers sessile or ± so; buds tetragonal, subglabrous, reddish; anthers yellowish. Female flowers sessile; sepals 3–4, 1 millimeters long, ovate, subacute; ovary 1.5 millimeters in diameter, subglobose, tomentose; styles c. 6 millimeters long, united at the base, deeply laciniate, red. Fruits: The fruit is usually a capsular schizocarp. Fruits 1.5–2 × 4 millimeters, 3-lobed, pubescent.