Croton megalobotrys Müll.Arg.

Euphorbiaceae, A. Radcliffe-Smith. Flora Zambesiaca 9:4. 1996

Morphology General Habit

A shrub or tree up to 14 m tall, sometimes sarmentose, often lax branched from the base, monoecious or sometimes dioecious; crown conical to rounded.

Morphology Trunk

Trunk up to 60 cm in diameter and 180 cm in circumference, angular.

Morphology General Bark

Bark grey, longitudinally lenticellate, smooth at first later becoming fissured.

Morphology Branches

Branches drooping.

Morphology Twigs

Twigs grey-green, lenticellate.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules 3–7 mm long, linear-lanceolate, often 1–2-lobed near the base, subglabrous, soon falling.

Morphology Leaves Petiole

Petioles 2–7(11) cm long, densely stellate-pilose at first, soon glabrescent, with 2 stipitate discoid glands at the apex.

Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina

Leaf blades 3–19 × 2–13 cm, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, usually acutely caudate-acuminate at the apex, somewhat irregularly and coarsely crenate-serrate or dentate on the margins, cuneate to rounded or truncate to cordate at the base, membranous to thinly chartaceous, densely stellate-tomentose on both surfaces at first, later glabrescent above and cottony stellate-pilose beneath, slightly roughened, light or deep green; 3–7-nerved from the base, lateral nerves in 3–5 pairs, slightly prominent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes terminal on the main axis or terminating short axillary or lateral shoots, the male racemes and the androgynous racemes 4.5–17 cm long, the female racemes 2–3 cm long; axes densely stellate-pilose at first, later sparingly so; bracts resembling the stipules, the male bracts several-flowered, the female bracts usually only 1-flowered.

sex Male

Male flowers: pedicels 3–7 mm long, slender; sepals 5, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, suborbicular, subglabrous without, glabrous within, ciliate, pale green; petals 5, 4 × 1.5 mm, oblanceolate, subacute, pubescent at the apex, pale cream-yellow or whitish; disk glands free, truncate; stamens 15–20(25), filaments 3 mm long, glabrous, anthers 0.5 mm long; receptacle densely villous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Female flowers: pedicels 3–5 mm long, extending to up to 10 mm in fruit, stout; sepals 5, larger than in the male flowers and ovate, but otherwise similar; petals absent; disk shallowly 5-lobed, crenulate; ovary 3 mm in diameter, globose, densely stellate-tomentose; styles 3, 3 mm long, 4-partite, inflexed, glabrous, buff-orange, persistent. Male flowers: pedicels 3–7 mm long, slender; sepals 5, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, suborbicular, subglabrous without, glabrous within, ciliate, pale green; petals 5, 4 × 1.5 mm, oblanceolate, subacute, pubescent at the apex, pale cream-yellow or whitish; disk glands free, truncate; stamens 15–20(25), filaments 3 mm long, glabrous, anthers 0.5 mm long; receptacle densely villous.

sex Female

Female flowers: pedicels 3–5 mm long, extending to up to 10 mm in fruit, stout; sepals 5, larger than in the male flowers and ovate, but otherwise similar; petals absent; disk shallowly 5-lobed, crenulate; ovary 3 mm in diameter, globose, densely stellate-tomentose; styles 3, 3 mm long, 4-partite, inflexed, glabrous, buff-orange, persistent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits 2–3.5 × 2.2–3.5 cm when dry, up to 4 × 3.8 cm when fresh, trilobate-subglobose, often bilobate or ovoid-ellipsoid by abortion, indehiscent, softly stellate-tomentose at first, later glabrescent, bright green at first, later becoming orange to golden-brown.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1.7–2 × 1.5–1.8 × 0.9–1.2 cm, broadly compressed-ovoid, subtruncate, dark purplish-brown, dull, ecarunculate.