Flora of North America species comparison

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Croton alabamensis

Croton incanus

Alabama croton

salvia, Torrey's croton, vara blanca
Habit Shrubs, 5–35 dm, monoecious. Shrubs, 10–20 dm, monoecious.
Stems

usually well branched distally, lepidote.

much branched distally, stellate-velutinous.
Leaves

clustered at branch tips;

stipules absent;

petiole 0.6–2 cm, glands absent at apex;

blade elliptic, ovate, or oblong, 3–10 × 1.5–5 cm, base rounded to obtuse, margins entire, sometimes ± undulate, apex acute, rounded, or emarginate, abaxial surface silvery or coppery, densely lepidote, adaxial surface green, sparsely lepidote.

sometimes clustered near inflorescences;

stipules linear-subulate, 2–3 mm;

petiole 0.7–1.5 cm, (1/4–)3/8–1/2 leaf blade length, glands absent at apex;

blade oblong, ovate-oblong, or elliptic-oblong, 1.5–4(–6) × 1.5–3 cm, base rounded to obtuse, margins entire, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface whitish, densely stellate-tomentose, adaxial surface darker green, stellate-tomentose.
Inflorescences

bisexual or unisexual, racemes, 2–4.5 cm, staminate flowers 0–15, pistillate flowers 0–10.

bisexual, racemes, 2–5 cm, staminate flowers 10–25, pistillate flowers 2–4.
Pedicels

staminate 2.2–4 mm, pistillate 2.2–7.5 mm (7–11 mm in fruit).

staminate 1.7–3 mm, pistillate 1–2 mm.
Staminate flowers

sepals 5, 1.1–2.9 mm, abaxial surface lepidote;

petals 5, oblong-ovate, 2–3.1 mm, abaxial surface glabrous except margins stellate-ciliate;

stamens 10–22.

sepals 5, 1.5–2 mm, abaxial surface densely tomentose;

petals 5, oblanceolate, 1.5–2 mm, abaxial surface villous;

stamens 10–16.
Pistillate flowers

sepals 5, equal, 2–4.5 mm, margins entire, apex incurved, abaxial surface lepidote;

petals 5, pale green, ovate, 2–3.5 mm;

ovary 3-locular;

styles 3, 2–5 mm, usually unbranched, rarely 2-fid, terminal segments 3 (or 6).

sepals 5, equal, 1.2–3.5 mm, margins entire, apex straight to slightly incurved, abaxial surface tomentose;

petals 0;

ovary 3-locular;

styles 3, 1.8–3.5 mm, 2-fid to base, terminal segments 6.
Capsules

1.6–2.5 × 2–3 mm, smooth;

columella 3-angled.

6–8 × 4–5 mm, smooth;

columella apex with 3 rounded, inflated lobes.
Seeds

6.7–8 × 5.2–6 mm, shiny.

4.5–7 × 3–4 mm, dull.
2n

= 20.

Croton alabamensis

Croton incanus
Phenology Flowering Mar–Nov.
Habitat Calcareous loams, xeric rocky limestone slopes and canyons.
Elevation 0–700 m. (0–2300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; n Mexico; c Mexico
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

B. W. van Ee et al. (2006) examined populations of Croton alabamensis using DNA sequence and AFLP data, and their results supported the recognition of two varieties and an isolated position in the genus. Buds develop in the summer and fall for the following spring's flowers.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Croton incanus is known in the flora area from the trans-Pecos region to south Texas.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Leaf blade abaxial surfaces silvery, scales mostly unpigmented or light amber, some dark blackish brown scales sometimes present; inflorescences 9–18-flowered, producing 0–11 fruits; Alabama.
var. alabamensis
1. Leaf blade abaxial surfaces coppery, some scales unpigmented, others with dark reddish brown center and reddish amber rays; inflorescences 6–14-flowered, producing 0–6 fruits; Texas.
var. texensis
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 210. FNA vol. 12, p. 217.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Croton Euphorbiaceae > Croton
Sibling taxa
C. argenteus, C. argyranthemus, C. californicus, C. capitatus, C. ciliatoglandulifer, C. cortesianus, C. coryi, C. dioicus, C. elliottii, C. fruticulosus, C. glandulosus, C. heptalon, C. humilis, C. incanus, C. leucophyllus, C. lindheimeri, C. lindheimerianus, C. linearis, C. michauxii, C. monanthogynus, C. parksii, C. pottsii, C. punctatus, C. sancti-lazari, C. setigerus, C. soliman, C. sonorae, C. suaveolens, C. texensis, C. wigginsii
C. alabamensis, C. argenteus, C. argyranthemus, C. californicus, C. capitatus, C. ciliatoglandulifer, C. cortesianus, C. coryi, C. dioicus, C. elliottii, C. fruticulosus, C. glandulosus, C. heptalon, C. humilis, C. leucophyllus, C. lindheimeri, C. lindheimerianus, C. linearis, C. michauxii, C. monanthogynus, C. parksii, C. pottsii, C. punctatus, C. sancti-lazari, C. setigerus, C. soliman, C. sonorae, C. suaveolens, C. texensis, C. wigginsii
Subordinate taxa
C. alabamensis var. alabamensis, C. alabamensis var. texensis
Synonyms C. suaveolens var. oblongifolius, C. torreyanus
Name authority E. A. Smith ex Chapman: Fl. South. U.S. ed. 2, 648. (1883) Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 2(fol.): 58; 2(qto.): 73. (1817)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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