Euphorbiaceae
Croton

Croton bonplandianus Baill.

First published in Adansonia 4: 339 (1864)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Bolivia to S. Brazil and N. Argentina. It is a subshrub or shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Euphorbiaceae, A. R.-Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987

Morphology General Habit
A monoecious woody herb or shrub up to 1.5 m. in height, with branches whorled at the bases of the inflorescences.
Morphology General Shoots
Young shoots evenly stellate-lepidote, older ones more sparingly so, greenish with purplish ribs.
Morphology Leaves
Petiole 0.5–1 cm. long, densely to evenly stellate-lepidote; leaf-blade lanceolate, 3–5 cm. long, 1–1.5 cm. wide, acute, rounded-cuneate, with 2 sessile discoid basal glands on the midrib beneath, crenate-serrate, membranaceous, penninerved, glabrous above, sparingly stellate-lepidote beneath, dark green. Leaves alternate, subopposite or whorled.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules subulate-filiform, 0.5 mm. long, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes terminal, up to 12 cm. long, the lower quarter–half ♀, the upper half–three-quarters ♂; axis sparingly stellate-lepidote to subglabrous; bracts triangular, 1 mm. long, ciliate.
sex Male
Male flowers:pedicels 1–1.5 mm. long, glabrous; buds globose, glabrous but with an apical tuft of hairs; calyx 5-lobed, the lobes elliptic-ovate, 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, subacute, greenish; petals 5, oblong, recurved, 2 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, obtuse, glabrous except for tufts of hairs on the margins towards the base, white; disc-glands free, compressed-subglobose, apiculate; stamens 13–16, filaments 2 mm. long, glabrous, anthers 0.3 mm. long; receptacle glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers ± sessile; calyx-lobes 5, triangular-ovate, 1 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, subacute, not accrescent, subglabrous; petals 0; disc annular; ovary ellipsoid-subtrilobate, 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. diameter, densely stellate-lepidote; styles 3, ± free, 1.5 mm. long, spreading, glabrous, bifid to about half way, the lobes filiform. Male flowers:pedicels 1–1.5 mm. long, glabrous; buds globose, glabrous but with an apical tuft of hairs; calyx 5-lobed, the lobes elliptic-ovate, 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, subacute, greenish; petals 5, oblong, recurved, 2 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, obtuse, glabrous except for tufts of hairs on the margins towards the base, white; disc-glands free, compressed-subglobose, apiculate; stamens 13–16, filaments 2 mm. long, glabrous, anthers 0.3 mm. long; receptacle glabrous.
sex Female
Female flowers ± sessile; calyx-lobes 5, triangular-ovate, 1 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, subacute, not accrescent, subglabrous; petals 0; disc annular; ovary ellipsoid-subtrilobate, 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. diameter, densely stellate-lepidote; styles 3, ± free, 1.5 mm. long, spreading, glabrous, bifid to about half way, the lobes filiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit ellipsoid-trigonous, 5–6 mm. long, 4 mm. wide, septicidal, sparingly stellate-lepidote.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds compressed-ellipsoid, 4 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, grey, finely rugulose, slightly shiny, with a small bilobate caruncle.
Habitat
Ruderal; 500 m.
Distribution
native to S. Bolivia, Paraguay, SW. Brazil and N. Argentinaaccidentally introduced in Chittagong in 1897/8, from where it has spread widely in tropical AsiaNganga 108 is the first record for Africa K7
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images