Flora of North America species comparison

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Croton pottsii

leatherweed, leatherweed croton
Habit Herbs, perennial, 1–6 dm, monoecious or dioecious.
Stems

several from base, sparsely branched distally, stellate-hairy.
Leaves

sometimes clustered near inflorescences;

stipules rudimentary;

petiole 0.5–2 cm, glands absent at apex;

blade ovate-oblong, proximal rounder, distal more ovate-elliptic, 1–6 × 1–3 cm, base rounded, margins entire, apex rounded to acute, both surfaces pale to ashy green, softly stellate-hairy.
Inflorescences

bisexual or unisexual, racemes, 0.5–2.5 cm, staminate and pistillate flowers each (12–)20–25.
Pedicels

staminate 1.5–6 mm, pistillate 1–3.5 mm, ± recurved in fruit.
Staminate flowers

sepals (4–)5, 1–1.5 mm, abaxial surface densely stellate-hairy;

petals (4–)5, oblong-lanceolate, 1–1.3 mm, abaxial surface glabrous except margins villous;

stamens 10–15.
Pistillate flowers

sepals 5, equal, 1.5–3 mm, margins entire, apex straight to slightly incurved, abaxial surface glabrous except stellate-hairy at apex;

petals 0;

ovary 3-locular;

styles 3, 0.5–4.5 mm, 2-fid to base, terminal segments 6.
Capsules

4–6(–7) × 4–5 mm, smooth;

columella apex with 3 sharp projections.
Seeds

3.5–4 × 2–2.5 mm, shiny.
2n

= 20.

Croton pottsii
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico; c Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

The affinities of Croton pottsii lie with C. lindheimerianus and C. monanthogynus.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Stems straight; erect radii of stellate hairs shorter than lateral radii, thus pubescence appearing appressed and smooth; leaf blades 1.6–6 cm; racemes mostly 1.1–2.5 cm; styles 1.1–4.5 mm; capsules 4–6(–7) mm.
var. pottsii
1. Stems somewhat zigzag; erect radii of stellate hairs longer than lateral radii, thus pubescence appearing ± shaggy; leaf blades usually 1–1.4 cm; racemes mostly 0.5–0.9 cm; styles usually 0.5–1 mm; capsules 4 mm.
var. thermophilus
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 221.
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. linearis, C. michauxii, C. monanthogynus, C. parksii, C. punctatus, C. sancti-lazari, C. setigerus, C. soliman, C. sonorae, C. suaveolens, C. texensis, C. wigginsii
Subordinate taxa
C. pottsii var. pottsii, C. pottsii var. thermophilus
Synonyms Lasiogyne pottsii
Name authority (Klotzsch) Müller Arg.: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 561. (1866)
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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