Croton heptalon |
Croton monanthogynus |
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woolly croton |
one-seed croton, prairie tea |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, 5–15 dm, monoecious; stems, leaves, and buds whitish-hairy when young, becoming glabrate. | Herbs, annual, 2–5 dm, monoecious. |
Stems | well branched distally, stellate-hairy. |
dichotomously branched from near base, stellate-hairy, some stellate hairs with dark brown centers. |
Leaves | 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. |
sometimes clustered near inflorescences; stipules glandlike, 0.1–0.3 mm; petiole 0.3–1.5 cm, glands absent at apex; blade ovate-oblong to nearly round (proximal) to narrowly elliptic (distal), 1–3.5 × 0.5–3 cm, base obtuse to rounded or truncate, margins entire, apex rounded to acute, abaxial surface pale green, sparsely whitish stellate-hairy and appearing brown-dotted, some hairs with dark brown centers, adaxial surface darker green, densely stellate-hairy, hairs without brown centers. |
Inflorescences | bisexual, racemes, 2–4 cm, staminate flowers 3–10, pistillate flowers 4–8. |
bisexual or sometimes pistillate, congested racemes, 0.3–1 cm, staminate flowers 3–10, pistillate flowers 1–2(–5). |
Pedicels | staminate 2–4 mm, pistillate 1–2 mm. |
staminate 0.5–2 mm, pistillate 1–2.5 mm (2–3 mm and recurved in fruit). |
Staminate flowers | 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. |
sepals 3–5, 0.7–1 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy; petals 3–5, narrowly elliptic-oblanceolate, 0.7–1 mm, abaxial surface glabrous except margins villous; stamens 3–5. |
Pistillate flowers | 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. |
sepals 5, subequal, 1.5–2 mm, margins entire, apex straight to slightly incurved, abaxial surface stellate-hairy, some hairs with dark brown centers; petals 0; ovary 2-locular, 1 fertile; styles 2, 0.8–1.2(–1.5) mm, 2-fid to base, terminal segments 4. |
Capsules | 6–8 × 6–7 mm, smooth; columella tipped with 3-pronged grappling hooklike appendage. |
appearing follicular (1-seeded), 3.5–4.5 × 1.8–2.2 mm, smooth; columella ± curved, apparently deciduous upon dehiscence of capsule. |
Seeds | 4–5 × 2–2.5 mm, shiny. |
2.5–3.3 × 2–2.5 mm, shiny. |
2n | = 20. |
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Croton heptalon |
Croton monanthogynus |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Dec. | Flowering May–Nov. |
Habitat | Beaches, coastal dunes, roadsides. | Prairies, sandstone and limestone glades, thinly wooded bluffs, fallow fields, other disturbed habitats. |
Elevation | 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.) | 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) |
Distribution |
TX; e Mexico |
AL; AR; AZ; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NE; NM; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas)
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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.) |
Croton monanthogynus may be adventive in the northernmost states. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 217. | FNA vol. 12, p. 220. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Oxydectes heptalon, C. albinoides, C. capitatus var. albinoides, C. engelmannii var. albinoides, C. muelleri var. albinoides, Heptallon aromaticum | Engelmannia nuttalliana, Gynamblosis monanthogyna, Heptallon ellipticum, Oxydectes monanthogyna |
Name authority | (Kuntze) B. W. van Ee & P. E. Berry: Syst. Bot. 35: 159. (2010) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 215. (1803) — (as monanthogynum) |
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