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Wiggins' croton

Habit Shrubs, 2–10 dm, dioecious.
Stems

densely branched, appressed-lepidote.

Leaves

not clustered;

stipules absent;

petiole 1–4 cm, usually less than 1/2 blade length, glands absent at apex;

blade narrowly elliptic to linear-oblong, 2–8.5 × 0.6–1.5 cm, more than 2 times as long as wide, base obtuse, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded, abaxial surface pale green, adaxial surface darker green, both densely pale stellate-lepidote.

Inflorescences

unisexual, racemes or thyrses;

staminate 1–3.5(–10) cm, flowers 3–8(–15);

pistillate 0.5–1 cm, flowers 1–6.

Pedicels

staminate 1–7 mm, pistillate 1–2 mm (4–7 mm in fruit).

Staminate flowers

sepals 5, 1 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy;

petals 0;

stamens 10–15.

Pistillate flowers

sepals 5, equal, 2 mm, margins entire, apex incurved, abaxial surface stellate-lepidote;

petals 0;

ovary 3-locular;

styles 3, 1.5–2.5 mm, 2–3 times 2-fid, terminal segments 12–24.

Capsules

7–10 × 6–8 mm, smooth;

columella 3-winged.

Seeds

6.5–7 × 2–3 mm, dull.

2n

= 28.

Croton wigginsii

Phenology Flowering Feb–May.
Habitat Sand dunes.
Elevation 10–100 m. (0–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Croton wigginsii is closely related to C. californicus but more robust in its habit and floral features, and is restricted to sand dunes in a limited area of the Sonoran Desert. In the flora area, C. wigginsii is known only from Yuma County, Arizona, and Imperial County, California.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 224.
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. pottsii, C. punctatus, C. sancti-lazari, C. setigerus, C. soliman, C. sonorae, C. suaveolens, C. texensis
Synonyms C. arenicola
Name authority L. C. Wheeler: Contr. Gray Herb. 124: 37. (1939)
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