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bush croton, encinilla, hierba loca, shrubby croton

doveweed, goatweed, skunkweed, Texas croton

Habit Shrubs, 2–10 dm, monoecious. Herbs, annual, 2–7(–9) dm, dioecious.
Stems

much branched distally, stellate-hairy.

loosely branched distally, stellate-hairy.

Leaves

not clustered;

stipules rudimentary or absent;

petiole 0.4–1(–1.5) cm, 1/8–1/5 blade length, glands absent at apex;

blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2–8 × 2–4 cm, base truncate to cordate, margins serrulate, often slightly undulate, apex attenuate, acute, abaxial surface pale green, stellate-hairy, adaxial surface darker green, puberulent.

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, racemes, 3–12 cm, staminate flowers 10–20, pistillate flowers 2–5.

unisexual;

staminate racemes or irregularly branched panicles, 2–8 cm, flowers 10–30;

pistillate racemes, 1–2 cm, flowers 1–6.

Pedicels

staminate 2.5–4 mm, pistillate 0–0.5 mm.

staminate 2–3 mm, pistillate 1–3 mm.

Staminate flowers

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

petals 5, oblanceolate to spatulate, 2 mm, abaxial surface glabrous except margins densely fimbrillate-villous;

stamens 9–16.

sepals 5, 1–2 mm, abaxial surface densely whitish appressed stellate-hairy;

petals 0;

stamens 8–12.

Pistillate flowers

sepals 5, equal, 2.2 mm, margins entire, apex incurved, abaxial surface stellate-hairy;

petals 0;

ovary 3-locular;

styles 3, 3–4.5 mm, 2-fid to base, terminal segments 6.

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

5–6 mm diam., smooth;

columella apex with 3 rounded, inflated lobes.

5–8 × 4–5.5 mm, verrucose;

columella 3-winged.

Seeds

4–5 × 3.2–3.8 mm, shiny.

3.5–4 × 2.5–3 mm, shiny.

2n

= 28.

Croton fruticulosus

Croton texensis

Phenology Flowering May–Dec. Flowering Jun–Nov.
Habitat Limestone or basalt hills. Prairies, sandy creek beds, old fields, canyons, disturbed areas.
Elevation 100–1700 m. (300–5600 ft.) 50–2000 m. (200–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AZ; CO; DE; FL; IA; IL; KS; MD; MO; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; UT; WI; WV; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Croton fruticulosus is known in the flora area from southeastern Arizona through southern New Mexico and trans-Pecos Texas to the Edwards Plateau.

(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. 214. FNA vol. 12, p. 224.
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. elliottii, 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. 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. wigginsii
Synonyms Hendecandra texensis, C. luteovirens, C. texensis var. utahensis, C. virens
Name authority Engelmann ex Torrey: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 194. (1859) — (as fruticulosum) (Klotzsch) Müller Arg.: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 692. (1866)
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