454 



EUPHORBIACEAE. 



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 spicate or racemose. 

 Staminate flowers uppermost; calyx 4-6-parted (usually 5-parted) ; petals usually present, 

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

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

 mostly 3-celled; ovule I in each cavity; styles once, twice or many times 2-cleft. Capsule 

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

 pitted. Embryo straight in the fleshy 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 s-lobed. i. C. glandulosus. 



Leaves entire; staminate calyx 3 s-lobed, pistillate 5~i2-lobed. 



Capsules clustered, erect, depressed-globose, 3"~3^" broad. 2. C. capitatus. 



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



Plant silvery; capsules 2"-2 l / 2 " long. 3. C. monantlwgynus. 



Plant whitish ; capsules 3"-3j4" long. 4. C. Lindheimerianus. 



Plant dioecious. 5. C. texensis. 



i. Croton glandulosus L. Glandular Croton. Fig. 2713. 



Croton 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'-2* 

 high, corymbosely branched, or nearly simple; 

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

 coarsely serrate, bearing 2 glands at the base of 

 the blade; petiole shorter than the blade; flower- 

 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 2i" 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. Am. 2: 214. 1803. 



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. 



