Croton soliman |
Croton lindheimeri |
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Soliman's croton |
goatweed, Lindheimer's hogwort, woolly croton |
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Habit | Shrubs, 5–8 dm, monoecious. | Herbs, annual, 5–20 dm, monoecious, stems, leaves, and buds with yellow-brown (ochraceous) pubescence when young, becoming glabrate. |
Stems | sparsely branched distally, sparsely stellate-hairy. |
branching distally, stellate-hairy. |
Leaves | not clustered; stipules linear, (0–)1–2 mm, sometimes short stipitate-glandular; petiole 1–2 cm, 2/5–1/2 leaf blade length, glands absent at apex; blade ovate, 2–5 × 1.5–2.5 cm, base rounded-cuneate, margins entire, with scattered glandular-capitate processes 1 mm, usually denser at base, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial surface green, glabrous or sparsely stellate-hairy, usually along margin, adaxial surface slightly darker green, glabrous. |
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. |
Inflorescences | bisexual, racemes, 2–4 cm, staminate flowers 10–30, pistillate flowers 3–6. |
bisexual, racemes, 1.5–3 cm, staminate flowers 8–15, pistillate flowers 2–7. |
Pedicels | staminate 1–5 mm, pistillate 2–5 mm. |
staminate 0.5–3 mm, pistillate 0–1 mm. |
Staminate flowers | sepals 5, 0.8–1 mm, abaxial surface sparsely stellate-hairy; petals 5, spatulate, 1–1.3 mm, abaxial surface glabrous except margins ciliate basally; stamens 15–20. |
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. |
Pistillate flowers | sepals 5, unequal, 5–6 mm, margins entire, apex straight to slightly incurved, abaxial surface glabrous or with a few stellate hairs; petals 0 or 5, white, linear, 2.5–3.5 mm; ovary 3-locular; styles 3, 3–4 mm, 4-fid, terminal segments 12. |
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. |
Capsules | 6 × 5–6 mm, smooth; columella apex with 3 rounded, inflated lobes. |
6–8 × 8–9 mm, smooth; columella tipped with 3-pronged grappling hooklike appendage. |
Seeds | 4–5 × 3–4 mm, shiny. |
4–5 × 4–4.5 mm, shiny. |
2n | = 20. |
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Croton soliman |
Croton lindheimeri |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Jul. | Flowering May–Dec. |
Habitat | Thickets, low ridges. | Old pastures, forest openings, bottomlands, fence rows, disturbed areas. |
Elevation | 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.) | 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) |
Distribution |
TX; e Mexico; s Mexico |
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MO; MS; SC; TN; TX
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Discussion | Croton soliman is most similar to C. humilis. In the flora area, C. soliman is found only in Cameron County. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 223. | FNA vol. 12, p. 218. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Pilinophytum lindheimeri, C. capitatus var. lindheimeri | |
Name authority | Chamisso & Schlechtendal: Linnaea 6: 361. (1831) | (Engelmann & A. Gray) Alph. Wood: Class-book Bot. ed. s.n.(b), 631. (1861) |
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