Euphorbiaceae

Croton insularis

SILVER CROTON

Shrub or small tree to 15 m high; bark dark grey to brown, finely fissured; crown with leaves often turning orange before falling. Buds and young stems densely covered with silvery or brownish circular scales, stems densely to sparsely scaly; stipules 2, free, linear, 1–1.2 mm long.

Leaves simple, usually alternate or sometimes subopposite or pseudo-whorled; lamina elliptic to lanceolate, 3–7 cm long, 1–3 cm wide, apex shortly acuminate or acutely pointed, base abruptly tapered, margins entire or weakly toothed, sometimes wavy, thin and soft; upper surface green with scattered circular scales and star hairs, lower surface silvery with a dense covering of minute brownish or silvery circular scales; pinnately veined with 7–14 pairs of lateral veins, distinct on both surfaces, raised and often more prominent on lower surface; translucent dots numerous, small, yellowish, distinct or obscure, usually visible with a lens; petiole 1–1.5 cm long, glands 2, raised, placed laterally at apex.

Inflorescences terminal or axillary in upper axils, racemes, to 12 cm long, axis and buds brownish scaly; flowers borne singly along axis, or males clustered; inflorescences unisexual or male flowers above the female flowers; pedicels 2.5–5 mm long. Flowers unisexual and plants monoecious, actinomorphic, small, cream to yellow; sepals and petals 2.5–3.5 mm long; male flowers with 5 sepals and petals, and 14–18 stamens; female flowers with 5 sepals, petals absent, and a 3-lobed ovary.

Fruit dry at dehiscence, a capsule, ± globose, 6–8 mm diam., 3-lobed, brownish, densely covered with interlocking silvery or brownish circular scales (without wart-like processes); seeds 1–3, brown; caruncle basal, 0.5–0.8 mm long, creamy-yellow.

Illustration of leaves & fruit

Habitat and Distribution:

In STRf, LRf, DRf and VTs, also in sclerophyll forests and scrubs; north from Kurrajong (W of Sydney), N.S.W., to Iron Range (Cape York Peninsula), N Qld, and west to Carnarvon N.P., Qld; also New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

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