Croton argyranthemus

Michaux

Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 215. 1803.

Common names: Healing or silver croton
Illustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 211. Mentioned on page 206, 207, 214.

Herbs or subshrubs, annual or short-lived perennial, 1–6 dm, monoecious. Stems several from base, branching distally into 2–4 branches, lepidote. Leaves 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 bisexual, racemes, 2–5 cm, staminate flowers 15–35, pistillate flowers 2–8. Pedicels: staminate 1–5 mm, pistillate 0–2 mm. Staminate flowers: 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 5–7, 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 5–6 × 3–4 mm, smooth; columella 3-angled. Seeds 4–5 × 2.5–3 mm, dull.


Phenology: Flowering Mar–Sep.
Habitat: Deep sandy soils in pinelands, pine-oak scrub, sandhills.
Elevation: 0–200 m.

Distribution

V12 1079-distribution-map.jpg

Ala., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., Tex., Mexico (Nuevo León), Mexico (Tamaulipas)

Discussion

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.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"connate" is not a number.

... more about "Croton argyranthemus"
glabrate +  and lepidote +
obtuse;rounded +
Benjamin W. van Ee +  and Paul E. Berry +
Michaux +
rounded +  and narrowed +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
unlobed +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
Healing or silver croton +
oblong;lanceolate-oblong or broadly elliptic +
Ala. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, La. +, Miss. +, Tex. +, Mexico (Nuevo León) +  and Mexico (Tamaulipas) +
0–200 m. +
pistillate +  and staminate +
subtending +
Deep sandy soils in pinelands, pine-oak scrub, sandhills. +
scale-like +  and stellate +
axillary +  and terminal +
palmate +  and pinnate +
colorless +  and reddish +
deciduous +, semideciduous +  and persistent +
palmate +  and pinnate +
denticulate +  and crenate +
extrastaminal +
pistillate +  and staminate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
list;count;distinct +
oblong-spatulate +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (?) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Flowering Mar–Sep. +
(1-)3-carpellate +
oval;narrowly obovate +
Fl. Bor.-Amer. +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
lenticular +, globose +, ovoid +, oblong +  and ellipsoid +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
valvate +  and imbricate +
distinct +  and connate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
Illustrated +
caducous +, deciduous +  and persistent +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (?) +
connate +  and distinct +
multifid +  and 2-fid +
1-3 times 2-fid at apex +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (?) +
Croton argyranthemus +
species +
perennial +, short-lived +  and annual +
subshrub +  and herb +
14 +, 10 +, 9 +  and 8 +