454 



KUPIIORBIACEAE. 



Vol. II. 



3. CROTON L. Sp. PI. 1004. 1753. 



Herbs or shrubs, monoecious or rarely dioecious, strong-scented, stellate-pubescent, more 

 or less glandular. Leaves mostly alternate, entire, toothed or lobed, sometimes with 2 glands 

 at the base of the blade. Flowers in axillary or terminal clusters, often spicatc or racemose. 

 Staminatc tiowers uppermost; calyx 4-6-parted (usually s-parted) ; petals usually present, 

 but small or rudimentary, alternating with glands; stamens 5 or more, inflcxed. Pistillate 

 flowers clustered below the staminate; calyx 5-10-parted ; petals usually wanting; ovary 

 mostly 3-celled ; ovule i in each cavity ; styles once, twice or many times 2-clef t. Capsule 

 splitting into 2-4 (usually 3) 2-valved carpels. Seeds i in each carpel, smooth, or minutely 

 pitted. Embryo straight in the fieshy endosperm. [The Greek name of the Castor-oil plant.] 



About 700 species, mostly of warm and tropical regions, a few in the temperate zones; some of 

 high medicinal value. Type species: Croton Tiglium L. 



Plants monoecious. 



Leaves toothed; staminate calyx 4-lobed. pistillate 5-lobed. i. C. glandulosus. 



Leaves entire: staminate calyx 3-5-lobed, pistillate 5-12-lobed. 



Capsules clustered, erect, depressed-globose, 3"-3'/S" broad. 2. C. ca^ifatus. 



Capsules mostly solitary, nodding, ovoid, or oblong-ovoid. 



Plant silvery: capsules 2"-2j'2" long. 3. 



Plant whitish; capsules 3"-3}^ 

 Plant dioecious. 



' long. 



C. luonantltogynus. 



4. C. Lindhcimerianns. 



5. C. texensis. 



I. Croton glandulosus L. Glandular Croton. Fig. 2713. 



Crolon glandulosus L. Amoen. Acad. 5: 409. 1760. 



Annual, monoecious, usually dark green, rough 



with stellate hairs, and somewhat glandular. 



Stem erect or assurgent, rather slender, 8'-2i 



high, corymbosely branched, or nearly simple ; 



leaves oblong, linear-oblong or ovate, i'-3' long, 



coarsely serrate, bearing 2 glands at the base of 



the blade; petiole shorter than the blade; flow'er- 



clusters terminal or axillary, the staminate in 



spikes, with a 4-parted calyx, 4 petals, a 4-rayed 



glandular disk and 8 stamens ; pistillate flowers 



several at the base of the staminate, with 5 sepals, 



rudimentary petals, and 3 2-cleft styles ; capsule 



subglobose, about 23" in length ; seeds oblong. 



minutely wrinkled. 



In sandy soil. Virginia to Indiana. Iowa and Kan- 

 sas, south to Florida and Central America. Also in 

 the West Indies and South America. Consists of 

 many races, differing in shape of leaves, and in 

 amount of pubescence. March-Dec. 



2. Croton capitatus Michx. Capitate 

 Croton. Hogwort. Fig. 2714. 



Croton capitatus Michx. Fl. Bor. .\m. 2: 214. 1S03. 



Annual, monoecious, silvery green, densely stel- 

 late-pubescent. Stem erect or assurgent, usually 

 corymbosely branched above ; leaves lanceolate, 

 oblong, or rarely ovate, entire, or often undulate, 

 obtuse or cordate at the base; lower petioles often 

 equalling or exceeding the blades, flowers clus- 

 tered at the ends of the branches, the staminate 

 racemose, with a 5-parted calyx, 5 petals, and 

 10-14 stamens ; pistillate flowers several, sessile, 

 with 7-12 sepals, no petals, the styles twice or 

 thrice cleft; capsule depressed-globose, 3"-3*" in 

 diameter; seeds gray, or variegated, turtle-shaped, 

 smooth, or minutely pitted. 



In dry soil, New Jersey to Tennessee. Iowa. Kansas, 

 Georgia and Texas. May-Oct. 



