Croton glandulosus

Herbs, annual, 1–12 dm, monoecious. Stems much branched distally, usually coarsely stellate-hairy, rarely glabrescent. Leaves not clustered; stipules linear-subulate, glandular or not, to 0.5 mm or absent; petiole 0.2–1 cm, glands at apex 2, yellow, sessile to shortly stipitate, cuplike; blade ovate proximally, oblong-lanceolate distally, 0.6–3.5(–7) × 0.3–1.5(–3) cm, base obtuse to truncate, margins coarsely crenate to serrate-dentate, apex obtuse to rounded, both surfaces green, stellate-hairy, glabrate, or rarely glabrous. Inflorescences bisexual, racemes, 1–3 cm, staminate flowers 10–20, pistillate flowers 1–4. Pedicels: staminate 0.8–2 mm, pistillate 0–5 mm. Staminate flowers: sepals 5, 0.8–1.2 mm, abaxial surface stellate-hairy; petals 5, oblanceolate, 1–1.3 mm, abaxial surface glabrous except margins ciliate; stamens 7–13. Pistillate flowers: sepals 5, subequal, 6–7.5 mm, margins entire, apex straight to slightly incurved, abaxial surface glabrous except stellate-hairy apically; petals 0 or 5, rudimentary; ovary 3-locular; styles 3, 1–2.5 mm, deeply 2-fid, terminal segments 6. Capsules 3.5–6 × 4–5 mm, smooth; columella 3-angled. Seeds 3–4 × 2–2.5 mm, shiny. 2n = 16.

Distribution

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• Legacy Map

United States, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America.

Discussion

Varieties ca. 20 (5 in the flora).

Croton glandulosus is widespread in the New World, with a complex pattern of variation. The classification here follows B. W. van Ee et al. (2009).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Croton glandulosus var. arenicola, Croton glandulosus var. floridanus, Croton glandulosus var. lindheimeri, Croton glandulosus var. pubentissimus, Croton glandulosus var. septentrionalis

Key

1	Leaf blades glabrate or sparsely to moderately stellate-hairy.	> 2
2	Plants 2–12 dm; leaf blades 2–7 cm.	Croton glandulosus var. septentrionalis
2	Plants 1–2 dm; leaf blades 0.6–2(–3) cm.	> 3
3	Leaf blades glabrate, bases markedly 3-veined; petiole apical glands sessile; Florida.	Croton glandulosus var. floridanus
3	Leaf blades sparsely stellate-hairy, bases obscurely 3-veined; petiole apical glands stipitate; Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.	Croton glandulosus var. lindheimeri
1	Leaf blades moderately to densely stellate-hairy.	> 4
4	Leaf blades firm-thick, length mostly 2 times width or less, marginal teeth rounded; petiole apical glands sessile.	Croton glandulosus var. arenicola
4	Leaf blades membranous, length mostly more than 2 times width, marginal teeth pointed; petiole apical glands sessile or stipitate.	> 5
5	Leaf blades 1–2(–3) × 0.3–0.8(–1.3) cm; petiole apical glands stipitate, circular when dry, 0.1–0.4 mm diam.	Croton glandulosus var. lindheimeri
5	Leaf blades 2–7 × 0.7–3 cm; petiole apical glands sessile, wavy-wrinkled when dry, 0.5–0.8 mm diam.	> 6
6	Stems densely stellate-hairy, hairs spreading, radii unequal; leaf blades densely stellate-villous.	Croton glandulosus var. pubentissimus
6	Stems moderately stellate-hairy, hairs appressed, radii equal; leaf blades moderately stellate-hairy.	Croton glandulosus var. septentrionalis