Flora of North America species comparison

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Croton californicus

Croton heptalon

California croton, desert croton

woolly croton
Habit Subshrubs or shrubs, 4–11 dm, dioecious. Herbs, annual, 5–15 dm, monoecious; stems, leaves, and buds whitish-hairy when young, becoming glabrate.
Stems

loosely branched, stellate-lepidote.

well branched distally, stellate-hairy.
Leaves

not clustered;

stipules absent;

petiole 1–3.5(–4.5) cm, usually less than 1/2 blade length, glands absent at apex;

blade elliptic to narrowly oblong, 2–5.5(–7) × 0.8–2(–2.5) cm, usually more than 2 times as long as wide, base obtuse, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded, abaxial surface light green, adaxial surface darker green, both stellate-lepidote.

not clustered;

stipules linear, 2–7 mm;

petiole 0.5–5 cm, glands absent at apex;

blade ovate-lanceolate, 3–10 × 1–5 cm, base cordate to rounded, margins entire, apex acute, abaxial surface pale green, not appearing brown-dotted, no stellate hairs with brown centers, adaxial surface darker green, both stellate-hairy.
Inflorescences

unisexual, racemes or thyrses; staminate 0.5–3.5(–10) cm, flowers 3–8(–20); pistillate 0.5–1 cm, flowers 1–6.

bisexual, racemes, 2–4 cm, staminate flowers 3–10, pistillate flowers 4–8.
Pedicels

staminate 1–5.5(–7) mm, pistillate to 1 mm (1–3 mm in fruit).

staminate 2–4 mm, pistillate 1–2 mm.
Staminate flowers

sepals 5, 1 mm, abaxial surface stellate-lepidote;

petals 0;

stamens 10–15.

sepals (4–)5, 1–2 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy;

petals 5, linear-oblong-lanceolate, 1–1.5 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy;

stamens 9–12.
Pistillate flowers

sepals 5, equal, 2 mm, margins entire, apex incurved, abaxial surface stellate-lepidote;

petals 0;

ovary 3-locular;

styles 3, 2–2.5 mm, 4-fid, terminal segments usually 12.

sepals 7–8, subequal, 3–6 mm, margins entire, apex straight to slightly incurved, abaxial surface whitish appressed-tomentose;

petals 0;

ovary 3-locular;

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

6–8 × 5–7 mm, smooth;

columella 3-winged.

6–8 × 6–7 mm, smooth;

columella tipped with 3-pronged grappling hooklike appendage.
Seeds

4–5.5 × 3.5–5.5 mm, dull.

4–5 × 2–2.5 mm, shiny.
2n

= 28.

Croton californicus

Croton heptalon
Phenology Flowering Feb–Oct. Flowering May–Dec.
Habitat Sandy soils, sage scrub, dunes, washes. Beaches, coastal dunes, roadsides.
Elevation 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.) 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Sinaloa)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; e Mexico
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Morphological differences among Croton heptalon and its multifid-styled relatives in sect. Heptallon, especially C. capitatus and C. lindheimeri, can be quite subtle. In general, C. heptalon can be distinguished from C. capitatus by its more elongate pistillate part of the inflorescence, non-recurving sepal tips in the pistillate flowers, and more cordate leaf bases on larger basal leaves. Whitish pubescence on its young growth and styles that branch once into four terminal segments distinguish C. heptalon from C. lindheimeri.

Croton muelleri J. M. Coulter, which is an illegitimate name, pertains here.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 211. FNA vol. 12, p. 217.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Croton Euphorbiaceae > Croton
Sibling taxa
C. alabamensis, C. argenteus, C. argyranthemus, 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. 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
Synonyms Hendecandra procumbens, C. californicus var. longipes, C. californicus var. mohavensis, C. californicus var. tenuis, C. longipes, C. mohavensis, C. tenuis Oxydectes heptalon, C. albinoides, C. capitatus var. albinoides, C. engelmannii var. albinoides, C. muelleri var. albinoides, Heptallon aromaticum
Name authority Müller Arg.: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 691. (1866) (Kuntze) B. W. van Ee & P. E. Berry: Syst. Bot. 35: 159. (2010)
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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