Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Mexican Croton
Description
Family Euphorbiaceae
The Euphorbiaceae are mostly monoecious herbs, shrubs , and trees , sometimes succulent and cactus-like, comprising one of the largest families of plants with about 300 genera and 7,500 species that are further characterized by the frequent occurrence of milky sap . The leaves are mostly alternate but may be opposite or whorled and they are simple , or compound , or sometimes highly reduced. Stipules are generally present but may be reduced to hairs , glands or spines. The flowers are unisexual and usually actinomorphic . They may be highly reduced by suppression of parts, in the extreme form consisting of a naked stamen as a male flower and a naked pistil as a female flower. A specialized type of miniature inflorescence called a cyathium occurs in about 1,500 species comprising the genera Euphorbia and Chamaesyce. The cyathium consists of a single naked pistillate flower surrounded by cymes of naked staminate flowers, each consisting of a single stamen. These flowers are all enclosed in a cup-like involucre that typically is provided with peripheral nectaries and petaloid appendages such that the whole aggregation closely resembles a single flower. In other members of the family the flowers and inflorescences are more ordinary in appearance , with male and female flowers typically bearing a 5-merous calyx and corolla of distinct segments, although the corolla is sometimes absent. In these forms the androecium most commonly consists of 5, 10 or sometimes numerous distinct or monadelphous stamens. The gynoecium of female flowers consists of a single compound pistil of typically 3 carpels, an equal number of styles or primary style branches, and a superior ovary with typically 3 locules, each bearing 1 or 2 collateral , axile-apical pendulous ovules. The fruit is usually a capsular schizocarp. -- Gerald Carr.
Physical Description
Habit: Shrub
Habitat
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,737 meters (0 to 5,699 feet).[1]
Biology
Reproduction
Duration: Perennial
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
)
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
)
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
)
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
)
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
)
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
)
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Rosidae
(
)
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Euphorbianae
(
)
- Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
- Order:
Malpighiales
(
)
- C. Martius, 1835
- Family:
Euphorbiaceae
(
)
- A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons.
- Spurge Family
- Subfamily:
Crotonoideae
(
)
- Subfamily:
Crotonoideae
(
- Family:
Euphorbiaceae
(
- Order:
Malpighiales
(
- Superorder:
Euphorbianae
(
- Subclass:
Rosidae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Croton chaetodus Urb. • Croton chaetodus var. gonavensis Urb. • Croton ciliatoglandulosus Steud. • Croton fuertesii Urb. • Croton penicillatus Vent. • Croton pulcherrimus Willd. Ex Schltdl. • Oxydectes ciliatoglandulosa (Steud.) Kuntze
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Last scrutiny: 11-Nov-2003
Similar Species
Members of the genus Croton
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 61 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
C. alabamensis (Alabama Croton) · C. alabamensis var. alabamensis (Alabama Croton) · C. alabamensis var. texensis (Alabama Croton) · C. argenteus (Silver July Croton) · C. argyranthemus (Healing Croton) · C. astroites (Wild Marrow) · C. betulinus (Beechleaf Croton) · C. bonplandianus (Bonpland's Croton) · C. californicus (California Croton) · C. californicus var. californicus (California Croton) · C. capitatus (Hogwort) · C. capitatus var. lindheimeri (Lindheimers Hogwort) · C. cascarilla (Grannybush) · C. ciliatoglandulifer (Mexican Croton) · C. cortesianus (Cortez's Croton) · C. coryi (Cory's Croton) · C. dioicus (Grassland Croton) · C. discolor (Lechecillo) · C. elliottii (Elliott's Croton) · C. eluteria (Cascarilla) · C. fishlockii (Fishlock's Croton) · C. flavens (Yellow Balsam) · C. fruticulosus (Bush Croton) · C. glandulosus (Lindheimer's Croton) · C. glandulosus var. glandulosus (Vente Conmigo) · C. heterocarpus (Croton) · C. humilis (Low Croton) · C. impressus (Puerto Rico Croton) · C. incanus (Torrey Croton) · C. lachnocarpus (Hairyfruit Croton) · C. leucophyllus (Two-Color Croton) · C. lindheimerianus (Lindheimer's Croton) · C. lindheimerianus var. tharpii (Tharp Croton) · C. lucidus (Firebush) · C. macrobotrys (Sangue-De-Drago) · C. michauxii (Michauxs Croton) · C. microcarpus (Money Croton) · C. monanthogynus (Prairie Tea) · C. ovalifolius (Yerba) · C. parksii (Parks Croton) · C. poecilanthus (Sabinon) · C. pottsii (Leather-Weed) · C. pottsii var. pottsii (Leather Croton) · C. pottsii var. thermophilus (Leatherweed) · C. punctatus (Gulf Croton) · C. ripensis (Croton) · C. sampatik (Perennial Croton Species) · C. sancti-lazari (Trans Pecos Croton) · C. scouleri (Chala) · C. sessiliflorus (Amansa Guapo) · C. setiger (Doveweed) · C. setigerus (Croton) · C. soliman (Soliman Croton) · C. sonorae (Sonoran Croton) · C. stenophyllus (West Indian Croton) · C. suaveolens (Scented Croton) · C. texensis (Texas Croton) · C. tiglium (Croton Oil Plant) · C. trinitatis (Roadside Croton) · C. wigginsii (Wiggins' Croton) · C. willdenowii (Elliptical Rushfoil)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas. (F Tex)
- Dahlgren, B. E. & P. C. Standley. 1944. Edible and poisonous plants of the Caribbean region. (Ed Poison Carib)
- Govaerts, R. et al. 2000. World checklist and bibliography of Euphorbiaceae. (L Euphorb)
- Kearney, T. H. & R. H. Peebles. 1969. Arizona flora, ed. 2. (F Ariz)
- Shreve, F. & I. L. Wiggins. 1964. Vegetation and flora of the Sonoran desert. (F SonorDes)
- Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946–1976. Flora of Guatemala. (F Guat)
- Wiggins, I. L. 1980. Flora of Baja California. (F Baja)
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 9, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 21, 2007:
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
- University of Alabama Biodiversity and Systematics, Herbarium
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2651916
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-49622
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14258681
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:70044-2
- GRIN Nomen Number: 411833
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 28267
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDEUP0H070
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: CRCI
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 33162
Footnotes
- Mean = 244.870 meters (803.379 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,002.050 based on 8 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
