VOL. II.] 



SPURGE FAMILY 



2. Croton capitatus Michx. Capitate 

 Croton. Hogwort. (Fig. 2291.) 



Croton capitatus Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 2: 214. 1803. 

 Annual, monoecious, silvery green, densely 

 stellate-pubescent. Stem erect or assurgent, 

 usually corymbosely branched above; leaves lan- 

 ceolate, oblong, or rarely ovate, entire, or often 

 undulate, obtuse or cordate at the base; lower 

 petioles often equalling or exceeding the blades, 

 flowers clustered 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 Iowa, Georgia and 

 Texas. May-Oct. 



3. Croton monanthogynus Michx. Single-fruited Croton. (Fig. 2292.) 



C. monanthogynus Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 2: 215. 1803. 

 Annual, monoecious, silvery green, rather densely 

 stellate-pubescent and somewhat glandular. Main 

 stem slender, 4 / -8 / high, simple, or sparingly 

 branched above, topped by a 3~5-rayed umbel with 

 rays 5'-i5' long, forked or umbellately branched; 

 leaves ovate or oblong, 5 // -i^ / long, entire or un- 

 dulate, obtuse or subcordate at the base; petioles 

 usually about half as long as the blades; staminate 

 flowers clustered at the ends of erect peduncles, 

 with 3-5 unequal calyx- segments, the same number 

 of petals and scale-like glands, and 3-8 stamens; 

 pistillate flowers mostly solitary, on recurved pedi- 

 cels, with 5 equal calyx-segments, no petals, 5 

 glands and 2 sessile 2-cleft stigmas; capsule ovoid 

 or oblong-ovoid, 2 // -2> // long, i-2-celled; seeds 

 oval or orbicular, variegated, minutely pitted, 

 shining. 



In dry soil, North Carolina to Indiana and Kansas, 

 south to Florida and Mexico. June-Oct. 



4. Croton Texensis (Klotzsch.) Muell. Arg. Texas Croton. 



Hendecanadra Texensis Klotzch, Erichs. Arch, i: 



252. 1841. 

 Croton Texensis Muell. Arg. in DC. Prodr. 15: Part 



2, 692. 1862. 



Annual, dioecious, often bronze-green, canes- 

 cent with stellate pubescence. Stem rather 

 slender, erect or assurgent, 8 / -2 high, panicu- 

 lately or corymbosely branched; leaves ovate 

 to linear-oblong, or almost linear, io // -3X / long, 

 entire or undulate; petioles mostly shorter than 

 the blades; staminate flowers racemose; pistillate 

 flowers sessile or nearly so in stalked clusters; 

 calyx equally 5-parted, the segments ovate; petals 

 none; glands 5, minute; stamens mostly 10; 

 styles 3, twice or thrice 2-cleft; capsule subglo- 

 bose, 2> // -3 // in diameter; somewhat muricate; 

 seeds ovoid or oval, variegated, finely reticulated. 



In dry soil, South Dakota to Missouri, Alabama 

 and New Mexico. June-Sept. 



(Fig. 2293.) 



