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silver July croton

beach tea, gulf croton, hierba de jabalí

Habit Herbs, annual, 2–12 dm, monoecious. Shrubs, 3–10 dm, monoecious or sometimes appearing dioecious.
Stems

branching once into 2–3 branches, tomentose.

trichotomously branching, stellate-hairy to stellate-lepidote.

Leaves

sometimes clustered near inflorescences;

stipules linear-subulate, 4–11 mm, unlobed or deeply divided;

petiole 0.3–8 cm, glands absent at apex;

blade ovate to ovate-oblong, 2–15 × 1.5–8 cm, base obtuse, cuneate, or subtruncate, margins denticulate, apex obtuse to rounded, abaxial surface pale green, not appearing brown-dotted, no stellate hairs with brown centers, densely stellate-hairy, adaxial surface green, less densely stellate-hairy.

not clustered;

stipules absent;

petiole 1–4 cm, 1/2 to equal blade length, glands absent at apex;

blade broadly elliptic to suborbiculate, 2–5 × 1.5–4 cm, much less than 2 times as long as wide, base rounded to truncate, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded, abaxial surface pale grayish green, stellate-lepidote, adaxial surface slightly darker green, stellate-lepidote.

Inflorescences

bisexual, congested racemes, 1–4 cm, staminate flowers 4–10, pistillate flowers 3–6.

unisexual or bisexual, racemes, 1–4 cm, staminate flowers 3–7, pistillate flowers 1–3.

Pedicels

staminate 2–3 mm, pistillate 1–4 mm (3–5 mm in fruit).

staminate 2–4 mm, pistillate 0–1 mm.

Staminate flowers

sepals 5, 1.5–2 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy;

petals 5, oblong, 2–3 mm, abaxial surface glabrous except margins ciliate;

stamens 10–13.

sepals 5–6, 2.5 mm, abaxial surface stellate-lepidote;

petals 0;

stamens 10–13.

Pistillate flowers

sepals 5, unequal, 4–8 mm, margins deeply laciniate, apex incurved, abaxial surface stellate-hairy;

petals 0;

ovary 3-locular;

styles 3, 2–3 mm, 4-fid, terminal segments 12.

sepals 5, equal, 3–3.5 mm, margins entire, apex incurved, abaxial surface stellate-lepidote;

petals 0;

ovary 3-locular;

styles 3, 1–2 mm, multifid, terminal segments 12–24.

Capsules

5 × 7 mm, smooth;

columella 3-angled.

5–8 × 7–9 mm, smooth;

columella 3-winged.

Seeds

3.2–3.8 × 2.4–3 mm, dull.

4.5–6 × 3.7–4.5 mm, dull.

2n

= 28.

Croton argenteus

Croton punctatus

Phenology Flowering Jun–Dec. Flowering year-round.
Habitat Disturbed sites, waste areas, levees. Beaches, dunes.
Elevation 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.) 0–20 m. (0–100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; e Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; e Mexico; Central America; West Indies; n South America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Croton argenteus, which in the flora area is known only from Cameron and Hidalgo counties, may be a fairly recent introduction into the United States; the earliest known collections date from 1923.

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

A report of Croton punctatus from Pennsylvania apparently was based on a transient appearance on ballast (E. T. Wherry et al. 1979).

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 211. FNA vol. 12, p. 222.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Croton Euphorbiaceae > Croton
Sibling taxa
C. alabamensis, 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. incanus, C. leucophyllus, C. lindheimeri, C. lindheimerianus, C. linearis, C. michauxii, C. monanthogynus, C. parksii, C. pottsii, C. sancti-lazari, C. setigerus, C. soliman, C. sonorae, C. suaveolens, C. texensis, C. wigginsii
Synonyms family euphorbiaceae Julocroton argenteus C. disjunctiflorus, C. maritimus, C. plukenetii
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1004. (1753) — (as argenteum) Jacquin: Collectanea 1: 166. (1787) — (as puntatum)
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