Micrococca mercuriali, Kunukku-thooki

Micrococca mercurialis (L.) Benth.
Family: Euphorbiaceae

Synonyms: Tragia mercurialis L., Microstachys mercurialis (L.) Dalzell & A.Gibson, Mercurialis alternifolia Lam., Mercurialis abyssinica Hochst. ex Pax & K.Hoffn., Claoxylon mercurialis (L.) Thwaites, Claoxylon mercuriale (L.) Thwaites

Malayalam: Kunukku-thooki

Description: Erect or procumbent annual herb up to c. 50 cm tall. Leaves alternate, elliptic-ovate, 2-7 cm long, pale green, often purple-tinged, with 4-7 pairs of ascending lateral veins ending at the margin; margin scalloped. Inflorescences up to 7.5 cm long, axillary, spike-like, containing male and female flowers. Flowers greenish-yellow with a purplish disk. Fruit ovoid-subspherical, 3-lobed, up to 3 × 5.5 mm, with sparse bristly hairs, bluish-green, drying to dark purple. 

Plant used to treat fever in children; plant sap instilled into nose, eyes or ears to treat headache and otitis [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]

8 Published articles of Micrococca mercurialis
1.    Micrococca mercurialis Benth - pharmacognostic analysis and antimicrobial activity of an important folk medicinal plant Sutapa, C., C.H. Rahaman, and M. Sudhendu, Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare, 2014. 4(27): p. 122-128.
2.    Yellow mosaic of Micrococca mercurialis Benth. - a sap transmissible whitefly-borne virus Mathew, A.V. and S. Balakrishnan, Vectors and vector-borne diseases. Proceedings of the All India Symposium. Trivandrum / Kerala State / India, February 26-28, 1982, 1986: p. 99-105.
3.    NOTES ON MICROCOCCA-MERCURIALIS Almeida, S.M., A.R. Kulkarni, and S.R. Yadav, Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 1985. 82(1): p. 238-240.
4.    YELLOW MOSAIC OF MICROCOCCA-MERCURIALIS Radhakrishnan Nair, R. and M. Ramanathan Menon, Agricultural Research Journal of Kerala, 1978. 16(2): p. 256-256.
5.    Yellow mosaic of Micrococca mercurialis Benth Nair, R.R. and M.R. Menon, Agricultural Research Journal of Kerala, 1978. 16(2): p. 256-256.
6.    DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSITY OF STOMATA IN MICROCOCCA-MERCURIALIS BENTH Rao, P.N. and V. Satyanarayanaraju, Current Science, 1975. 44(16): p. 594-596.
7.    DEVELOPMENT KARYOLOGY AND ECOLOGY OF AN AFRICAN MERCURIALINEA - MICROCOCCA MERCURIALIS BENTH COMPARISON WITH MERCURIALIS ANNUA Champaul.A and B. Durand, Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires Des Seances De L Academie Des Sciences Serie D, 1968. 267(23): p. 1961-&.
8.    A NOTE ON EMBRYOLOGY OF MICROCOCCA MERCURIALIS BENTH Rao, P.N., Current Science, 1962. 31(10): p. 426-&.