Croton argenteus |
Croton texensis |
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silver July croton |
doveweed, goatweed, skunkweed, Texas croton |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, 2–12 dm, monoecious. | Herbs, annual, 2–7(–9) dm, dioecious. |
Stems | branching once into 2–3 branches, tomentose. |
loosely branched distally, stellate-hairy. |
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 0.3–2 cm, glands absent at apex; blade narrowly ovate-oblong to linear-lanceolate, 1–5 × 0.5–2 cm, base truncate to rounded or subcordate, margins entire, apex rounded to acute, abaxial surface pale green, densely whitish appressed stellate-hairy, adaxial surface darker green, less hairy. |
Inflorescences | bisexual, congested racemes, 1–4 cm, staminate flowers 4–10, pistillate flowers 3–6. |
unisexual; staminate racemes or irregularly branched panicles, 2–8 cm, flowers 10–30; pistillate racemes, 1–2 cm, flowers 1–6. |
Pedicels | staminate 2–3 mm, pistillate 1–4 mm (3–5 mm in fruit). |
staminate 2–3 mm, pistillate 1–3 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, 1–2 mm, abaxial surface densely whitish appressed stellate-hairy; petals 0; stamens 8–12. |
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, 1–1.5 mm, margins entire, apex incurved, abaxial surface densely stipitate-stellate-hairy; petals 0; ovary 3-locular; styles 3, 1–2 mm, multifid, terminal segments 12–32+. |
Capsules | 5 × 7 mm, smooth; columella 3-angled. |
5–8 × 4–5.5 mm, verrucose; columella 3-winged. |
Seeds | 3.2–3.8 × 2.4–3 mm, dull. |
3.5–4 × 2.5–3 mm, shiny. |
2n | = 28. |
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Croton argenteus |
Croton texensis |
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Phenology | Flowering Jun–Dec. | Flowering Jun–Nov. |
Habitat | Disturbed sites, waste areas, levees. | Prairies, sandy creek beds, old fields, canyons, disturbed areas. |
Elevation | 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.) | 50–2000 m. (200–6600 ft.) |
Distribution |
TX; e Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in North America] |
AL; AZ; CO; DE; FL; IA; IL; KS; MD; MO; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; UT; WI; WV; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
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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.) |
Croton texensis, despite being annual, grows larger than the related perennial C. dioicus. Croton texensis has verrucose fruits similar to those of the closely related C. parksii. There is a single specimen of Croton texensis from Massachusetts, collected at a dump in Boston in 1890, but the species did not become established there. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 211. | FNA vol. 12, p. 224. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | family euphorbiaceae Julocroton argenteus | Hendecandra texensis, C. luteovirens, C. texensis var. utahensis, C. virens |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1004. (1753) — (as argenteum) | (Klotzsch) Müller Arg.: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 692. (1866) |
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