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doveweed, goatweed, skunkweed, Texas croton

healing croton, silver croton, silverleaf croton

Habit Herbs, annual, 2–7(–9) dm, dioecious. Herbs or subshrubs, annual or short-lived perennial, 1–6 dm, monoecious.
Stems

loosely branched distally, stellate-hairy.

several from base, branching distally into 2–4 branches, lepidote.

Leaves

not clustered;

stipules absent;

petiole 0.3–2 cm, glands absent at apex;

blade narrowly ovate-oblong to linear-lanceolate, 1–5 × 0.5–2 cm, base truncate to rounded or subcordate, margins entire, apex rounded to acute, abaxial surface pale green, densely whitish appressed stellate-hairy, adaxial surface darker green, less hairy.

not clustered;

stipules subulate, 0.2 mm;

petiole 0.2–1(–2) cm, glands absent at apex;

blade on proximal parts of stems oval to narrowly obovate, on distal parts oblong to lanceolate-oblong or broadly elliptic, 1–5 × 0.5–2(–3) cm, base rounded to narrowed, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded, abaxial surface silvery, densely lepidote, adaxial surface darker green, sparsely lepidote or glabrate.

Inflorescences

unisexual;

staminate racemes or irregularly branched panicles, 2–8 cm, flowers 10–30;

pistillate racemes, 1–2 cm, flowers 1–6.

bisexual, racemes, 2–5 cm, staminate flowers 15–35, pistillate flowers 2–8.

Pedicels

staminate 2–3 mm, pistillate 1–3 mm.

staminate 1–5 mm, pistillate 0–2 mm.

Staminate flowers

sepals 5, 1–2 mm, abaxial surface densely whitish appressed stellate-hairy;

petals 0;

stamens 8–12.

sepals 5, 5 mm, abaxial surface lepidote;

petals 5, oblong-spatulate, 5 mm, abaxial surface densely lepidote, scales translucent, petals appearing hyaline;

stamens 10–15.

Pistillate flowers

sepals 5, equal, 1–1.5 mm, margins entire, apex incurved, abaxial surface densely stipitate-stellate-hairy;

petals 0;

ovary 3-locular;

styles 3, 1–2 mm, multifid, terminal segments 12–32+.

sepals 5–7, connate for 1/2+ length, equal, 3–4 mm, margins entire, apex incurved, abaxial surface lepidote;

petals 0;

ovary 3-locular;

styles 3, 2–4 mm, 1–3 times 2-fid at apex, terminal segments 6–24.

Capsules

5–8 × 4–5.5 mm, verrucose;

columella 3-winged.

5–6 × 3–4 mm, smooth;

columella 3-angled.

Seeds

3.5–4 × 2.5–3 mm, shiny.

4–5 × 2.5–3 mm, dull.

2n

= 28.

Croton texensis

Croton argyranthemus

Phenology Flowering Jun–Nov. Flowering Mar–Sep.
Habitat Prairies, sandy creek beds, old fields, canyons, disturbed areas. Deep sandy soils in pinelands, pine-oak scrub, sandhills.
Elevation 50–2000 m. (200–6600 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AZ; CO; DE; FL; IA; IL; KS; MD; MO; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; UT; WI; WV; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; TX; Mexico (Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Croton texensis, despite being annual, grows larger than the related perennial C. dioicus. Croton texensis has verrucose fruits similar to those of the closely related C. parksii.

There is a single specimen of Croton texensis from Massachusetts, collected at a dump in Boston in 1890, but the species did not become established there.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Croton argyranthemus is closely related to C. coryi. Although they have very different kinds of vegetative indumentum, the staminate petals are characteristically silvery-lepidote in both species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 224. FNA vol. 12, p. 211.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Croton 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. pottsii, C. punctatus, C. sancti-lazari, C. setigerus, C. soliman, C. sonorae, C. suaveolens, C. wigginsii
C. alabamensis, C. argenteus, 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. pottsii, C. punctatus, C. sancti-lazari, C. setigerus, C. soliman, C. sonorae, C. suaveolens, C. texensis, C. wigginsii
Synonyms Hendecandra texensis, C. luteovirens, C. texensis var. utahensis, C. virens
Name authority (Klotzsch) Müller Arg.: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 692. (1866) Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 215. (1803) — (as argyranthemum)
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