Flora of North America species comparison

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Croton elliottii

Croton glandulosus

Elliott's croton, pondshore croton

sand croton, sand or tooth-leaf or Tropic croton, tooth-leaf croton, Tropic croton, vente conmigo
Habit Herbs, annual, 3–8 dm, monoecious. Herbs, annual, 1–12 dm, monoecious.
Stems

usually single from base, then well branched from first reproductive node, appressed stellate-hairy.

much branched distally, usually coarsely stellate-hairy, rarely glabrescent.
Leaves

sometimes clustered near inflorescences;

stipules absent;

petiole 0.5–2 cm, glands absent at apex;

blade lanceolate to oblong, 2–5.5 × 0.2–0.8 cm, base rounded, margins entire, apex subacute, abaxial surface pale green, not appearing brown-dotted, no stellate hairs with brown centers, densely long stellate-hairy, adaxial surface darker green, less densely short stellate-hairy.

not clustered;

stipules linear-subulate, glandular or not, to 0.5 mm or absent;

petiole 0.2–1 cm, glands at apex 2, yellow, sessile to shortly stipitate, cuplike;

blade ovate proximally, oblong-lanceolate distally, 0.6–3.5(–7) × 0.3–1.5(–3) cm, base obtuse to truncate, margins coarsely crenate to serrate-dentate, apex obtuse to rounded, both surfaces green, stellate-hairy, glabrate, or rarely glabrous.
Inflorescences

bisexual, congested racemes, 0.8–1.5 cm, staminate flowers 5–15, pistillate flowers 3–6.

bisexual, racemes, 1–3 cm, staminate flowers 10–20, pistillate flowers 1–4.
Pedicels

staminate 0.4–0.9 mm, pistillate 0–0.8 mm.

staminate 0.8–2 mm, pistillate 0–5 mm.
Staminate flowers

sepals 5, 0.8–1 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy;

petals 5, linear-oblong to lanceolate, 0.8–1 mm, abaxial surface glabrous;

stamens 7–10.

sepals 5, 0.8–1.2 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy;

petals 5, oblanceolate, 1–1.3 mm, abaxial surface glabrous except margins ciliate;

stamens 7–13.
Pistillate flowers

sepals 6–7, equal, 5–6 mm, margins entire, apex incurved, abaxial surface stellate-hairy;

petals 0;

ovary 3-locular;

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

sepals 5, subequal, 6–7.5 mm, margins entire, apex straight to slightly incurved, abaxial surface glabrous except stellate-hairy apically;

petals 0 or 5, rudimentary;

ovary 3-locular;

styles 3, 1–2.5 mm, deeply 2-fid, terminal segments 6.
Capsules

4–5 mm diam., smooth;

columella slightly 3-winged distally.

3.5–6 × 4–5 mm, smooth;

columella 3-angled.
Seeds

4–4.5 × 3–4 mm, shiny.

3–4 × 2–2.5 mm, shiny.
2n

= 16.

Croton elliottii

Croton glandulosus
Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Depression ponds, depression meadows, clay-based Carolina bays, usually on exposed pond edges or bottoms.
Elevation 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; SC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NM; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Croton elliottii is most closely related to C. capitatus.

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

Varieties ca. 20 (5 in the flora).

Croton glandulosus is widespread in the New World, with a complex pattern of variation. The classification here follows B. W. van Ee et al. (2009).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Leaf blades glabrate or sparsely to moderately stellate-hairy.
→ 2
2. Plants 2–12 dm; leaf blades 2–7 cm.
var. septentrionalis
2. Plants 1–2 dm; leaf blades 0.6–2(–3) cm.
→ 3
3. Leaf blades glabrate, bases markedly 3-veined; petiole apical glands sessile; Florida.
var. floridanus
3. Leaf blades sparsely stellate-hairy, bases obscurely 3-veined; petiole apical glands stipitate; Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.
var. lindheimeri
1. Leaf blades moderately to densely stellate-hairy.
→ 4
4. Leaf blades firm-thick, length mostly 2 times width or less, marginal teeth rounded; petiole apical glands sessile.
var. arenicola
4. Leaf blades membranous, length mostly more than 2 times width, marginal teeth pointed; petiole apical glands sessile or stipitate.
→ 5
5. Leaf blades 1–2(–3) × 0.3–0.8(–1.3) cm; petiole apical glands stipitate, circular when dry, 0.1–0.4 mm diam.
var. lindheimeri
5. Leaf blades 2–7 × 0.7–3 cm; petiole apical glands sessile, wavy-wrinkled when dry, 0.5–0.8 mm diam.
→ 6
6. Stems densely stellate-hairy, hairs spreading, radii unequal; leaf blades densely stellate-villous.
var. pubentissimus
6. Stems moderately stellate-hairy, hairs appressed, radii equal; leaf blades moderately stellate-hairy.
var. septentrionalis
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 214. FNA vol. 12, p. 215.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Croton Euphorbiaceae > Croton
Sibling taxa
C. alabamensis, C. argenteus, C. argyranthemus, C. californicus, C. capitatus, C. ciliatoglandulifer, C. cortesianus, C. coryi, C. dioicus, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. glandulosus var. arenicola, C. glandulosus var. floridanus, C. glandulosus var. lindheimeri, C. glandulosus var. pubentissimus, C. glandulosus var. septentrionalis
Synonyms Decarinium glandulosum, Geiseleria glandulosa, Oxydectes glandulosa
Name authority Chapman: Fl. South. U.S., 407. (1860) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 1275. (1759) — (as glandulosum)
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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