210, EUPHORBIACEAE 
4.  Undersurface of expanded leaves and inflorescence tomentose; on rocky Sites .......+1-+-+-+ 
4.  Undersurface of expanded leaves and inflorescence sparsely stellate Palrysccsssssesccsresesees 
C. argyratus Blume 
Shrub or small tree to 4 m, rarely 10 m. The whole 
plant covered to varying degrees in peltate scales. 
Branchlets ferruginous. Petioles 20-75 mm long, 
often ferruginous. Leaf blades, ovate or broadly 
lanceolate, 60-120 mm long, 50-92 mm wide, L/B 
1-1.9, often glabrescent above, silvery-shiny, with fine 
translucent pellucid dots below, base truncate, rounded 
to cordate, 3-5-nerved, margins + entire. Inflorescence 
20-45 mm long. Flowers monoecious; sepals c. 5 mm 
long, narrowly elliptic. Fruit + spherical, 6-7 mm 
long. Seeds mottled, c. 5 mm long. Flowering: Nov; 
fruiting: Feb - May. Fig. 71 
In SE Asia as far east as the Moluccas and in 
Australia only known from the NT, from Darwin as 
far east as western Arnhem Land. Mainly in coastal 
deciduous vine thickets or on limestone outcrops in 
subcoastal situations. 
C. arnhemicus Muell.Arg. 
A deciduous shrub or small tree to 5(12) m tall, 
with leaves turning red before falling; bark pale. 
Whole plant including fruit softly and densely stellate 
hairy, with plants from mesic habitats usually less 
hairy. Branchlets and young leaves often appearing 
rusty coloured or yellowish. Petioles 20-110 mm long. 
Leaf blades discolorous, ovate, lanceolate, broadly 
lanceolate, or suborbicular, 60-300 mm long, 40-280 
mm wide, L/B 0.9-1.5, sparsely tomentose above, 
often hoary-tomentose beneath, strongly 5-7-nerved, 
base cordate or truncate, margin crenulate to 
irregularly serrulate, with small scattered + stipitate 
glands often present in the sinuses on the underside. 
Inflorescence 50-270 mm long. Flowers monoecious 
or dioecious. Fruit on a pedicel c. 5 mm long, + 
globular, 6-9 mm long, each of the persistent 
styles divided into 2 linear lobes; sepals persistent, 
triangular, c. 2 mm long. Seeds c. 5 mm long, with 
occasional stellate hairs. Flowering: Sept - Dec; 
fruiting: Oct - Mar. Fig. 71 
Found in northern Australia from the Kimberley to 
Cape York. Common in the DR. In open forest and 
monsoon forest, on well drained soils. Medicinal uses 
have been reported (Russell-Smith, 1985; Smith & 
Wightman, 1990). 
C. sp. aff. dockrillii Airy Shaw 
Small tree to 3.5 m tall. Young shoots, branchlets 
and petioles with adpressed stellate scales. Petioles 
10-40 mm long. Leaf blades slightly discolorous, 
Croton 
C. tomentellus 
C. habrophyllus 
elliptic-oblong to oblong, 49-150 mm long, 17-40 mm 
wide, L/B 2.2-4.5, glabrous above, glabrescent 
below, surface finely and densely pellucid punctate, 
base cuneate, 3-nerved, margin shallowly and 
regularly serrate with minute mucros on the teeth, 
apex acuminate to acute. Flowers and fruit not seen. 
Not illustrated. 
In the DR, known only from the Mary R. in riparian 
vegetation, but also in central Arnhem Land. 
C. habrophyllus Airy Shaw 
A small deciduous tree to 6 m tall; bark grey-brown, 
finely lenticelled, blaze cream with white streaks. 
Young shoots, branchlets and petioles with a dense 
stellate pubescence. Petioles 5-44 mm long. Leaf 
blades discolorous, broadly lanceolate, ovate or 
elliptic, 55-110 mm long, 35-60 mm wide, L/B 1.2- 
2.2, when fully expanded sparsely stellate hairy 
below and glabrous or glabrescent above, surface 
finely and densely pellucid punctate, base truncate or 
rounded, occasionally slightly cordate, 3- or 
indistinctly 5-nerved, margin serrate or crenulate, 
with a glandular umbo in the sinus of each serration, 
apex acuminate or acute. Inflorescence 40-205 mm 
long, sparsely stellate hairy. Flowers dioecious; 
sepals triangular to lanceolate, c. 2.5 mm long, with 
a tuft of hairs at the apex, persistent. Fruit on pedicel 
c. 3 mm long, depressed globular, 4-5 mm long, 
sparsely stellate hairy, 3(4)-locular. Seeds often 
mottled. Flowering: Sept - Dec; fruiting: Oct - Feb. 
Fig. 71 
In north western Australia in coastal localities 
between Broome and the Gulf of Carpentaria. 
Common in the DR in coastal vine thickets or 
occasionally riparian vine thickets. Glabrous leaved 
forms of this species may be referred to C. byrnesii 
Airy Shaw and are found in subcoastal localities on 
sandstone. 
C. tomentellus F.Muell. 
A small tree to 4 m tall. Bark smooth, grey. A 
soft, dense stellate indumentum persisting on all 
parts. Petioles 5-37 mm long. Leaf blades discolorous, 
65-150 mm long, 37-90 wide, L/B 1.4-2.5, sparsely 
hairy above and hoary-tomentose below when 
fully expanded, base rounded, 3-5-nerved, margins 
shallowly and indistinctly dentate with a small 
mucro at the apex of each tooth, apex acuminate. 
Inflorescence 90-150 mm long, tomentose 
throughout. Flowers monoecious. Sepals persistent, 
