Croton lindheimeri |
Croton linearis |
|
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goatweed, Lindheimer's hogwort, woolly croton |
grannybush, pineland croton |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual, 5–20 dm, monoecious, stems, leaves, and buds with yellow-brown (ochraceous) pubescence when young, becoming glabrate. | Shrubs, 10–20 dm, dioecious. |
Stems | branching distally, stellate-hairy. |
well branched from base, stellate-hairy. |
Leaves | not clustered; stipules linear, 0–5 mm; petiole 1.5–7 cm, glands absent at apex; blade ovate-lanceolate, 3–7 × 1–3 cm, base cordate to rounded or subcordate, margins entire, apex acute, abaxial surface pale green, not appearing brown-dotted, no stellate hairs with brown centers, densely stellate-hairy, adaxial surface greener, more sparsely hairy. |
not clustered; stipules rudimentary; petiole 0.3–1 cm, 1/10–1/7 leaf blade length, often with 2 sessile or stipitate glands at apex; blade linear to narrowly oblong, 3–7 × 0.3–1.5 cm, mostly more than 4 times as long as wide, base cuneate to obtuse, margins entire, apex obtuse to acute, abaxial surface whitish yellow, densely appressed stellate-hairy, adaxial surface green, glabrous or minutely stellate-puberulent. |
Inflorescences | bisexual, racemes, 1.5–3 cm, staminate flowers 8–15, pistillate flowers 2–7. |
unisexual, racemes; staminate 4–10 cm, flowers 10–30; pistillate 3–5 cm, flowers 5–12. |
Pedicels | staminate 0.5–3 mm, pistillate 0–1 mm. |
staminate 1–2 mm, pistillate 2–3 mm. |
Staminate flowers | sepals (4–)5, 1.5–2 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy; petals 5, linear-oblong, 1–1.5 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy; stamens 9–13. |
sepals 5(–6), 2–2.5 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy; petals 5–6, spatulate, obtuse, 1.5–2.5 mm, abaxial surface glabrous except margins ciliate; stamens 12–17. |
Pistillate flowers | sepals 7–8, equal, 5–7 mm, margins entire, apex straight to slightly incurved, abaxial surface yellowish woolly-tomentose; petals 0; ovary 3-locular; styles 3, 3–4 mm, 2 times 2-fid, terminal segments 12. |
sepals 5, equal, 2.5–3.5 mm, margins entire, apex incurved, abaxial surface canescent; petals rudimentary or 0; ovary 3-locular; styles 3, 2–3 mm, 2-fid, terminal segments 6. |
Capsules | 6–8 × 8–9 mm, smooth; columella tipped with 3-pronged grappling hooklike appendage. |
5–7 × 4–5 mm, smooth; columella with 3 rounded, inflated lobes. |
Seeds | 4–5 × 4–4.5 mm, shiny. |
3–4 × 1.5–2 mm, dull. |
2n | = 20. |
|
Croton lindheimeri |
Croton linearis |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Dec. | Flowering year-round. |
Habitat | Old pastures, forest openings, bottomlands, fence rows, disturbed areas. | Rocky limestone pinelands, coastal areas. |
Elevation | 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) | 0–30 m. (0–100 ft.) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MO; MS; SC; TN; TX
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FL; West Indies
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Discussion | Croton lindheimeri is very similar to C. capitatus, and the two can sometimes be found growing together in northeastern Texas. Croton lindheimeri can be distinguished by its more ochraceous pubescence on young growth, consistently acute leaf tips, somewhat more elongated pistillate part of the raceme, and pistillate sepal tips that do not recurve after anthesis. Croton lindheimeri was reported from Indiana, adventive on ballast in 1898, and from Kansas based on a single 1883 collection from Miami County, but apparently did not become established in either state. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Croton linearis in the flora area is found only in Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe (Keys only), Palm Beach, and St. Lucie counties. There has been some confusion in the past with the application of the name C. cascarilla (Linnaeus) Linnaeus to this taxon, but C. cascarilla is now considered to be a synonym of the West Indian C. eluteria (Linnaeus) W. Wright (B. W. van Ee and P. E. Berry 2010b). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 218. | FNA vol. 12, p. 219. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Croton | Euphorbiaceae > Croton |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Pilinophytum lindheimeri, C. capitatus var. lindheimeri | C. fergusonii |
Name authority | (Engelmann & A. Gray) Alph. Wood: Class-book Bot. ed. s.n.(b), 631. (1861) | Jacquin: Enum. Syst. Pl., 32. (1760) — (as lineare) |
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