Flora of North America species comparison

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Croton coryi

Croton incanus

Cory's croton

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

trichotomously branched, mostly densely, grayish white, long stellate-hairy.

much branched distally, stellate-velutinous.
Leaves

sometimes clustered near inflorescences;

stipules absent;

petiole 1.5–4 cm, glands absent at apex;

blade narrowly ovate to elliptic, 3.5–7 × 1.5–3.5 cm, base rounded to subtruncate or subcordate, margins entire, apex acute, both surfaces light olive green, abaxial surface not appearing brown-dotted, no stellate hairs with brown centers, whitish stellate-hispid.

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, subspicate racemes, 4–7 cm, staminate flowers 15–25, pistillate flowers 8–15.

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

staminate 0.5–2.5 mm, pistillate 0–3 mm.

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

sepals 5, 3 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy;

petals 5, ligulate, 3–3.5 mm, abaxial surface densely lepidote, scales translucent, petals appearing hyaline;

stamens 14–16.

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 6–8, equal, 7 mm, margins entire, apex straight to slightly incurved, abaxial surface shaggy-tomentose;

petals 0 or rudimentary;

ovary 3-locular;

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

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

4.5–5.5 × 4 mm, smooth;

columella 3-angled.

6–8 × 4–5 mm, smooth;

columella apex with 3 rounded, inflated lobes.
Seeds

3 × 2 mm, dull.

4.5–7 × 3–4 mm, dull.
2n

= 20.

Croton coryi

Croton incanus
Phenology Flowering May–Nov. Flowering Mar–Nov.
Habitat Grasslands, woodland openings, deep well-drained sands, barrier island dunes, similar habitats inland. Calcareous loams, xeric rocky limestone slopes and canyons.
Elevation 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.) 0–700 m. (0–2300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; n Mexico; c Mexico
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Croton coryi is endemic to the South Texas Sand Sheet of coastal southern Texas (Brooks, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, Starr, and Willacy counties). Despite the marked difference in vegetative indumenta, C. coryi is closely related to C. argyranthemus. The most obvious feature linking them is the silvery lepidote staminate petals.

(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.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 213. FNA vol. 12, p. 217.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Croton Euphorbiaceae > Croton
Sibling taxa
C. alabamensis, C. argenteus, C. argyranthemus, C. californicus, C. capitatus, C. ciliatoglandulifer, C. cortesianus, 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
Synonyms C. suaveolens var. oblongifolius, C. torreyanus
Name authority Croizat: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 69: 446, 457. (1942) 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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