C R O 
at the fides, three-celled, each of the cells two-valved, 
fize of the calyx, frequently much larger. Seeds: foli- 
tary, ovate, large. This genus is allied to acalypha, dif¬ 
fering chiefly in the calyx. Some fpecies are furnifhed 
with.petals, others are apetalous. Several have the fila¬ 
ments detached.— EJJintial Character. Male. Calyx, cy- 
lindric, five-toothed-; corolla, five-petalled ; ftamina ten 
to fifteen. Female. Caiyx, many-leaved ; corolla, none; 
ftyles three, bifid ; capfule three-celled ; feed, one. 
Species, i. Croton variegatum, or variegated-leaved 
croton : leaves lanceolate, very entire, fmooth, painted, 
petioled. The plants of this numerous genus are her¬ 
baceous, or more frequently fhrubby ; leaves accompa¬ 
nied with ftipules, generally alternate, feldom oppofite; 
flowers axillary or terminating, ufually in fpikes, but 
i'ometimes in corymbs ; the (pikes are moftiy monoe- 
cous, (fometimes dioecous, as No. 2. or polygamous, No. 
51.) the males above, the females below. This firft 
fpecies is a native of Amboy 11a and Japan ; alfo of Malli- 
collo and Tanria in the South Seas. 
2. Croton lineare, or willow-leaved croton: leaves 
linear, very entire, obtufe ; tomentofe beneath ; (lent 
fhrubby. This rifes with a fhrubby flem about fix or 
feven feet high, fending out many' fide branches, which 
are covered with a fmooth bark of a yellowilh white co¬ 
lour, and garnilhed very clofely with narrow ftiff leaves, 
near three inches long, and about one-eighth of an inch 
broad, of a light green on their upper lide, but their 
under of the fame colour with the bark, the midrib is 
furrowed on their upper fide, and very prominent on the 
lower; the upper part of the branches divide into four 
or five fmaller, arifing from the fame joint, and nearly 
equal in length ; between thefe arifes a long loofe fpike 
of whitifh green flowers. The whole plant has an aro¬ 
matic odour when rubbed. According to Jacquin, it is 
only four feet high, and upright, the branches round, 
the leaves on a liiort petiole, furnifhed with two ftiffifli 
Jlipules. Swartz remarks, that on the coaft it has nar¬ 
rower leaves, and broader ones more in land ; and that 
the flowers are dioecous. It refembles the European 
rofemary pretty much, both in the manner of its growth, 
and the form and colour of its leaves, whence it has ac¬ 
quired the name of zvild rofemary , in Jamaica. It is fre¬ 
quent on the fouth fide of the iiland, and generally ufed 
in warm refolutive baths and fomentations. Native of 
Jamaica, and other parts of the Well Indies. It flowers 
in July, and was introduced about 1772, by Mr. William 
Malcolm. It had, however, been cultivated before by 
Mr. Miller, to whom the feeds were fent from Jamaica 
by Dr. Houftoun. 
3. Croton caftaneifolium, or chefnut-leaVed croton : 
leaves lanceolate, obtufe, ferrate, petioled, fmooth. Na¬ 
tive of South America. 
4. Croton paluflre, or marfliy croton : leaves ovate- 
lanceolate, plaited, ferate, fcabrous. Root annual; denis 
round, fungous, fmooth, procumbent or erect; leaves 
oblong, ferrate, fmooth on both fides, ufually two inches 
long, feldom one broad ; petioles half an inch in length ; 
flowers axillary, towards the top of the flem, on fpikes 
two inches long, in the upper part of which are four or 
five males, in the lower three or four females. The fruit 
is the fize of a pea, rough with warts, or foft little 
fpines. It varies in the fize and form of the leaves. 
Cultivated in the botanic-garden at Chelfea in 1731. 
Martyn has given an outline of the wild plant, by the 
fide of that which was raifed in the garden;. and they 
differ fo widely, that it would be difficult to fuppofe 
them of the fame fpecies, did we not know what great 
changes foil and climate will operate. Miller fays, that 
the plant in its native marfhes has broad flat ftalks, and 
leaves three inches long, fcarcely a quarter of an inch 
broad, rough, and but little indented on the edge ; but 
that in dry ground the leaves are ovate, upwards of two 
inches broad, and ferrate. He had the feeds from Dr. 
T O N. S95 
Houftoun, who difeovered it near Vera Cruz. It flowers 
in July, and the feeds'ripen in autumn. 
5. Croton glubellum, or laurel-leaved croton : leaves 
ovate, bluntifh, very entire, fmooth, and even ; fruits 
peduncled. 1 his grows in a fhrubby form, and is fel¬ 
dom under feven or eight feet in height. All the parts 
of the plant are of an adlive warm nature, and have a 
pretty agreeable fmell. It is common in all the low 
lands about Spanifh-town and Kingfton in Jamaica ; and 
was introduced here in 1778, by Thomas Clarke, M. D. 
6. Croton tindtorium, or officinal croton : leaves 
rhombed, repand ; capfules pendulous ; ftem herbace¬ 
ous. Root annual ; ftem herbaceous, branching, about 
nine inches high ; leaves near two inches long, and one 
inch and a quarter broad in their wideft part, on (lender 
petioles near four inches long. The women about Al- 
budebar dye their (lockings with it. Niflble dyed both 
fiIk and wool of an elegant blue colour, but the at¬ 
tempts in France to produce a material from it for dye¬ 
ing, fimilar to indigo, did not meet with fucqefs. This 
is the plant from which the Tournfol is made, that is 
ufed for colouring wines and jellies. It is made of the 
juice which is lodged between the calyx and the feeds; 
this, if rubbed on cloths, at firft appears of a lively 
green, but foon changes to a bluilh purple ; if thele 
cloths are put into water, and afterwards wrung, they 
will dye the water of a claret colour ; the rags thus dyed, 
are brought to England, and fold in the dr ggift (hops 
by the name of tournfol. Native of the South of France, 
Spain, and Italy ; and the kingdom of Tunis. It flowers 
in July. 
7. Croton glandulofum, or glandular croton : leaves 
oblong, ferrate, biglandular at the bafe ; fruits l'eflile. 
This feldom rifes above fixteen or feventeen inches in 
height. The feeds are fmall, and picked up every where 
in the fields, both by the wild and tame fowls, in the 
ifland of Jamaica, of which it is a native, in the favan- 
nahs of Liguanca. 
8. Croton argenteum, or filvery-leaved croton : leaves 
cordate-ovate, tomentofe beneath, entire, ferrate. Root 
annual; ftem a foot high, angular ; branches naked from 
their divifion to the top ; leaves an inch and a half long, 
and three quarters of an inch broad, on petioles an inch 
in length ; flowers in ftiort clofe terminating fpikes, the 
upper ones male, the lower female, all white, the former 
foon falling. The head of fruits has three oval, hirfute, 
toothed, braftes. Introduced before.1733, by William 
Houftoun, M. D. who found it at Vera Cruz, and fent 
the feeds to Mr. Miller. 
9. Croton febiferum, or poplar-leaved croton, or tal¬ 
low-tree : leaves rhomb-ovate, acuminate, flat, fmooth ; 
glands fubpetiolar. The leaves dye a very fine black ; 
in Odober they wither, turn to a dirty crimfon colour, 
and fall oft'before the capfules. The young leaves flioot 
out again in March. Each capfule contains three hard 
black (hells, the fize of pepper-corns or common peafe, 
covered entirely with a delicate fnow-white fubftance. 
It is not this that produces the tallow, as is commonly 
fuppofed; but it is the oil ex prefled from the kernel ; 
and this white fubftance mud be well cleared from the 
(hells before they are broken, for that will coniiderably 
leflen the quantity of oil. For this purpofe the (hells 
fliould remain ten or fifteen days in water to foak, and 
then they may be cleared of the white fubftance by rub¬ 
bing ; it will not, however, part from the (hell without 
difficulty. The oil drops from the prefs like thick o-lu- 
tinous lamp-oil, and foon hardens by cold to the conlif- 
tence of common tallow ; by boiling it becomes as hard 
as bees’-wax. It is a native of China ; flowering in May 
and June, and ripening the feeds in November : it flowers 
here in September; and was introduced in 1755, by Hu°h 
duke of Northumberland. In Chinefe it is named % 
Jheu , or ou ko ; or, as the French write it, u-kieu. 
jo, Croton Japonicum, or Japan croton: leaves undi¬ 
vided. 
