4348.000 Croton L.

Description of the genus

Monoecious, or rarely dioecious, shrubs or trees with an indumentum of stellate hairs and/or peltate scales. Leaves alternate, sometimes subopposite or subwhorled, simple, petiolate, with 2 sessile or stalked discoid glands on the petiole or at the base of the lamina. Inflorescences terminal, sometimes axillary, either bisexual (the female flowers usually below the males) or unisexual. Male flowers: sepals (4-)5(-6), petals usually present, (4-)5(-6), rarely more; stamens central, 5-many. Female flowers: sepals narrower than the male flowers, petals often smaller, vestigial or 0. Ovary (2-)3(-4)-locular; styles 1-several times 2-fid. Fruit dehiscent with 3 valves or cocci or ± indehiscent.

Worldwide: c.750 species in tropical and warm areas.

Zimbabwe: 2 cultivated taxa.

Croton megalocarpus

Links to cultivated taxa    View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesContent
megalocarpus Hutch.Description, Image
sylvaticus Hochst. ex C. KraussDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Croton:

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Croton
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Croton
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Croton
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Croton
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Croton
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Croton
JSTOR Plant Science: Croton
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Croton
Plants of the World Online: Croton
Tropicos: Croton
Wikipedia: Croton

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-25

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2025). Flora of Zimbabwe: Cultivated plants: genus page: Croton.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/cult/genus.php?genus_id=842, retrieved 12 February 2025

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