22. EUPHOEBIACEM. [H. Cboton. 



14. Croton, L. 



Trees or shrubs usually with scurfy, stellate or scaly hairs 

 and leaves 2-glaudular at the base. Fls. green monoecious 

 or dioecious, solitary or clustered on the rachis of axillary 

 and terminal braeteate racemes. Calyx 4-6-partite. Petals 

 and disc glands as many as the sepals. St. on a hairy recep- 

 tacle indefinite. Ovary 3-frarely 2-4) celled with as many 

 2-4-cleft styles. Capsule of 3, 2-valved cocci. 



Old leaves glabrous, inflor. lepidote, St. 10-12 1. oblongifolius. 

 L. and inflor. glabrous or nearly so. St. 15-25 2. Tiglium. 

 L. and inflor. scnrfily stellately hairy. St. 18-30 3. caudatus. 



1. C. oblongifolius, Roxb. Kuti, Kuti-konyer, K.; Gote, 

 Kote. S.; Poter, Qraon? Bhainswan, Kharw.; Putol, Mai 

 Paharia ; Maisonda (Koderma); Putri, Beng. 



A small tree with rather large coriaceous more or less 

 toothed or repand oblong or elliptic-oblong penni-nerved leaves 

 and long racemes of , dioecious (or monoecious) fls. which 

 appear when the tree is more or less leafless. 



Very common throughout the area, esp. in open and scrub 

 jungles. Fl. Jany.-Feby. Fr. April. More or less deci- 

 duous at the time. L. turn red before falliDg. 



L. 6-12" with long or short petiole, lepidote when yonng, acnte. 

 "Racemes numerous from the uppermost axils and terminal with numerous 

 linear or sub-foliaceous oblanceolate bracts at their base, rachis nearly 

 glabrous 5-12" long with minute subulate bracts. M. fl. rather large 

 on pedicels }•&" long lepid- te. Calyx £" long, sep. villous ciliate. Pet. 

 villous free £ between the disc-lobes. F. racemes and pedicels shorter. 

 Some of the Pet. often aborted. Ovary lepidote with 3 long branched 

 styles. Capsule i" diam. 



The plant is usually described as monoecious, I have often found it 

 dioacious. 



The bark and root are given as a purgative and also as an alterative 

 in dysentery, Caihpbell. 



2. C. Tiglium, L. Jaiphal, R. 



A small tree witn en. or ovate leaves 3-nerved at the base 

 and with stellate hairs beneath when young. 



228 



