Croton californicus |
Croton pottsii |
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California croton, desert croton |
leatherweed, leatherweed croton |
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Habit | Subshrubs or shrubs, 4–11 dm, dioecious. | Herbs, perennial, 1–6 dm, monoecious or dioecious. | ||||
Stems | loosely branched, stellate-lepidote. |
several from base, sparsely branched distally, stellate-hairy. |
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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. |
sometimes clustered near inflorescences; stipules rudimentary; petiole 0.5–2 cm, glands absent at apex; blade ovate-oblong, proximal rounder, distal more ovate-elliptic, 1–6 × 1–3 cm, base rounded, margins entire, apex rounded to acute, both surfaces pale to ashy green, softly stellate-hairy. |
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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 or unisexual, racemes, 0.5–2.5 cm, staminate and pistillate flowers each (12–)20–25. |
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Pedicels | staminate 1–5.5(–7) mm, pistillate to 1 mm (1–3 mm in fruit). |
staminate 1.5–6 mm, pistillate 1–3.5 mm, ± recurved in fruit. |
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Staminate flowers | sepals 5, 1 mm, abaxial surface stellate-lepidote; petals 0; stamens 10–15. |
sepals (4–)5, 1–1.5 mm, abaxial surface densely stellate-hairy; petals (4–)5, oblong-lanceolate, 1–1.3 mm, abaxial surface glabrous except margins villous; stamens 10–15. |
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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 5, equal, 1.5–3 mm, margins entire, apex straight to slightly incurved, abaxial surface glabrous except stellate-hairy at apex; petals 0; ovary 3-locular; styles 3, 0.5–4.5 mm, 2-fid to base, terminal segments 6. |
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Capsules | 6–8 × 5–7 mm, smooth; columella 3-winged. |
4–6(–7) × 4–5 mm, smooth; columella apex with 3 sharp projections. |
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Seeds | 4–5.5 × 3.5–5.5 mm, dull. |
3.5–4 × 2–2.5 mm, shiny. |
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2n | = 28. |
= 20. |
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Croton californicus |
Croton pottsii |
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Phenology | Flowering Feb–Oct. | |||||
Habitat | Sandy soils, sage scrub, dunes, washes. | |||||
Elevation | 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.) | |||||
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Sinaloa)
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AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico; c Mexico
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). The affinities of Croton pottsii lie with C. lindheimerianus and C. monanthogynus. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 211. | FNA vol. 12, p. 221. | ||||
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Croton | Euphorbiaceae > Croton | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | Hendecandra procumbens, C. californicus var. longipes, C. californicus var. mohavensis, C. californicus var. tenuis, C. longipes, C. mohavensis, C. tenuis | Lasiogyne pottsii | ||||
Name authority | Müller Arg.: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 691. (1866) | (Klotzsch) Müller Arg.: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 561. (1866) | ||||
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