C R O 
As moft of thefe plants are annual, fo they require 
to be brought forward in the fpring, otherwife the 
fummers are too fhort for them to perfect leeds ; fo 
that unlefs they are carefully managed, they will not 
flower well here •, for in general, the lummers in this 
country are not very favourable for thefe tender 
plants. Therefore in order to have thefe tender an- 
nual plants in perfeftion, there fhould be a low glafs- 
cafe erefted about five or fix feet high, which fhould 
be made with glafies to open or Hide down on every 
fide, as fhould alfo the top on both fides, having 
Aiding glafies, that the plants may have fun and air 
on every fide ; in this there fhould be a pit for tanners 
bark to make a hot-bed, the whole extent, (a parti- 
cular defcription of which will be exhibited under 
the article Stove) in this hot-bed may be placed all 
the very curious tender annual plants, where the fun 
will conftantly fhine on them, fo long as he makes 
his appearance above the horizon; and here they may 
have plenty of free air admitted at all times, when 
the weather is warm, fo may be brought to equal 
perfeftion, as in the warm countries where they na- 
turally grow; for the warmth of the tan to the 
roots, and the heat of the fun through the glafies, 
will in fummer, be equal to the heat of moll coun- 
tries. 
Thefe plants naturally grow on fandy light foils, fo 
they fhould always be planted in fuch ; and the pots 
in which they are planted, muft not be too large, for 
in fuch they will not thrive, fo that after they have 
filled the fmall pots with their roots in which they 
were firft planted, they Ihould be fhaken out of thofe, 
and put into penny pots, which will be large enough 
for moft of the annual kinds ; but thofe which are 
of longer duration, will require pots a little larger the 
following fpring The waterings of thefe plants 
fhould be performed with caution, for too great 
moifture will rot the fibres of their roots ; fo that in 
fummer, if they are gently watered three or four times 
a week in hot weather, it will be fufficient. 
CROTON. Lin. Gen. Plant. 960. Ricinoides. Tourn. 
Inft. 655. tab. 423. Ballard Ricinus. 
The Characters are. 
It hath male and female flowers in the fame plant ; the 
flowers have a five-leaved empalement , they have five pe- 
tals , thofe of the male being no larger than the leaves of 
the empalement ; the male have five nedtarious glands , 
which are finally and fixed to the receptacle ; thefe have 
ten or fifteen ftamina , which are joined at their bafe , and 
terminated by twin fummits. I he female flowers have a 
roundijh germen , fupporting three reflexed fpreading ftyles , 
crowned by bifid reflexed fiigmas ; the germen afterward 
becomes a roundijh three-cornered capfule , with three cells , 
each containing a fingle feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the ninth feftion of 
Linnaeus’s twenty-firfl clafs, intitled Monoecia Mo- 
nodelphia. The plants of this clafs and feftion have 
male and female flowers in the fame plant, and the 
male parts are joined in one body. 
The Species are, 
1. Croton fiTinblorium) foliis rhombeis repandis, cap- 
fulis pendulis caule herbaceo. Hort. Upfal. 290. 
Croton with rhomboid reflexed leaves , pendulous capfules , 
and an herbaceous fialk. Ricinoides ex qua paratur. 
Tournfol. Gallorum. Tourn. Inft. 655. Bafiard Pl- 
anus , from which the Pournfole of the French is made. 
2. Croton ( Argenteum ) foliis cordato-ovatis fubtus to- 
mentofis integris fubferratis. Hort. Cliff. 444. Croton 
with ovalheart-jhaped leaves , which are attire and woolly. 
Ricinoides herbacea, folio fubrotundo ferrato fruftu 
parvo conglomerate. Houft. MSS. 
3. Croton ( Paluftre ) foliis ovato-lanceolatis plicatis fer- 
ratis fcabris. Hort. Cliff. 445. Croton with oval fpear- 
fhaped leaves , which are plaited, fawea \ and rough. Ri- 
cinoides paluftre, foliis oblongis ferratis fruftu hifpido. 
Marty n. Cent. 38. 
4. Croton ( Lobatum) foliis inermi -ferratis, inferioribus 
quinquelobis, fuperioribus trilobis. Hort. Cliff. 445. 
Croton with leaves fmoothly flawed , the lower ones having 
five lobes , and the upper three . Ricinoides herbacea, 
C R O 
foliis trifidis vel quinquefidis & ferratis. Hoiift. 
MSS. 
5. Croton ( Humik ) tetraphyllum, foliis lanceolatis, 
acuminatis fubtus casfiis, caule herbaceo ramofo. Four* 
leaved Croton with fpear-fhapedpointed leaves , gray on their 
under fide , and a branching herbaceous fialk. Ricinoides 
humilis foliis oblongis acuminatis, fubtus ciefiis. Houft. 
MSS. 
6. Croton ( Fruticofum ) foliis lanceolatis glabris, caule 
fruticofo, floribus alaribus & terminalibus. Croton 
with fmooth fpear-floaped leaves , a Jhrubby fialk , and 
flowers growing from the fides and tops of the branches* 
Ricinoides frutefcens, lauri folio, calyce ampliflimo 
viridi. Houft. MSS. . 
7. Croton fPopuli folia ) foliis cordatis, acuminatis, 
fubtus tomentofis, floribus alaribus feflilibus, caule 
fruticofo. Croton with heart-fhaped pointed leaves , woolly 
on their under fide, and flowers growing clofe to the fides 
of the ftalks , which are firrubby. Ricinoides foliis po- 
puli hirfutis. Plum. Cat. 20. 
8. Croton ( Cafcarilla ) foliis lanceolatis acutis integer- 
rimis petiolatis fubtus tomentofis, caule arboreo. 
Amoen. Acad. 5. p. 41 1. Croton with fpear-floaped, en- 
tire, acute-pointed leaves, woolly on their under fide, and 
a tree-like fialk. Ricinoides frutefcens odorata, foliis 
anguftis fubtus albicantibus. Houft. MSS. Cafcarilla. 
9. Croton (•. Althaafolia ) foliis oblongo-cordatis tomen- 
tofis, caule fruticofo ramofo, floribus fpicatis termi- 
nalibus. Croton with oblong, heart-fhaped , tvoolly leaves , 
a Jhrubby branching fialk, and flowers growing in fpikes 
at the ends of the branches. Ricinoides Americana fru- 
tefcens, Althaeas folio. Plum. Cat. 20. 
10. Croton [Salvia; folia) foliis cordatis acutis, ftibtus 
tomentofis, caule fruticofo, floribus fpicatis termina- 
libus & alaribus. Croton with pointed heart-fhaped leaves ^ 
woolly on their under fide , a Jhrubby fialk, and flowers 
gr Giving in fpikes on the tops aitd fides of the branches » 
Ricinus falviae folio utrinque molli. Pet. Hort. Siec. 
The firft fort grows naturally in the fouth of France, 
from whence I have frequently received the feeds ; 
this is an annual plant, which rifes with an herbaceous 
branching ftalk about nine inches high, garnifhed 
with irregular, or rhomboidal figured leaves, which 
are near two inches long, and one inch and a quarter 
broad in their wideft part ; thefe ftand upon flender* 
foot-ftalks, near four inches long. The flowers are 
produced in fhort fpikes from the fide of the ftalks, 
at the end of the branches ; the upper part of the 
fpike is compofed of male flowers, having many fta- 
mina, which coalefce at the bottom ; the lower part 
hath female flowers, which have each a roundifh 
three-cornered germen; thefe afterward become a 
roundifh capfule with three lobes, having three cells, 
each including one roundifh feed. This flowers in 
July, but unlefs the plants are brought forward in a 
hot-bed, they do not ripen feeds in this country. 
The feeds of this plant fhould be fown in the au- 
tumn, foon after they are ripe, in a fmall pot filled 
with light earth, and plunged into an old tan-bed in 
a frame, v/here they may be fereened from cold in 
the winter ; and in the fpring following the pot fhould 
be removed to a frefh hot-bed, which will bring up 
the plants in a month’s time ; when thefe are grown 
large enough to remove, they fhould be each planted 
in a fmall pot, and plunged into a frefh hot-bed, 
being careful to fhade the glafies daily, until the 
plants have taken new root ; then they fhould have 
air daily admitted according to the warmth of the 
feafon, and but little water given to them : with this 
management I have had the plants flower and pro- 
duce good feeds here, but never could obtain any 
with other treatment. 
This is the plant from which the Tournfole is made, 1 
which is ufed for colouring wines and jellies ; it is 
made of the juice which is lodged between the em- 
palement and the feeds, which, if rubbed on cloths, 
at firft appears of a lively green, but foon changes to 
a bluifh purple colour ; if thefe cloths are put into 
v/ater, and afterward wrung, they will dye the water 
to a claret colour ; the rags thus dyed, are brought 
4 N to 
