Flora of North America species comparison

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Croton linearis

grannybush, pineland croton
Habit Shrubs, 10–20 dm, dioecious.
Stems

well branched from base, stellate-hairy.
Leaves

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

unisexual, racemes; staminate 4–10 cm, flowers 10–30; pistillate 3–5 cm, flowers 5–12.
Pedicels

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

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 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

5–7 × 4–5 mm, smooth;

columella with 3 rounded, inflated lobes.
Seeds

3–4 × 1.5–2 mm, dull.

Croton linearis
Phenology Flowering year-round.
Habitat Rocky limestone pinelands, coastal areas.
Elevation 0–30 m. (0–100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; West Indies
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

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. 219.
Parent taxa 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. fruticulosus, C. glandulosus, C. heptalon, C. humilis, C. incanus, C. leucophyllus, C. lindheimeri, C. lindheimerianus, 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. fergusonii
Name authority Jacquin: Enum. Syst. Pl., 32. (1760) — (as lineare)
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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