Croton californicus is a species of croton known by the common name California croton. This plant is native to California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Baja California, where it grows in the deserts and along the coastline.

Croton californicus
Staminate flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Euphorbiaceae
Genus:	Croton
Species:	C. californicus
Binomial name
Croton californicus Muell.Arg.

This plant is a perennial or small shrub not exceeding a meter in height. The plant produces long oval-shaped leaves a few centimeters long and covered in a light-colored coat of hairs.

This species is dioecious, with individual plants bearing either male (staminate) or female (pistillate) flowers, both only a few millimeters across. The staminate flowers are tiny cups filled with thready yellowish stamens and the pistillate flowers are the rounded, lobed immature fruits surrounded by tiny pointed sepals.

References

• Welsh, et al. A Utah Flora, 3rd ed. (Brigham Young University, 2003), p. 312 ISBN 0-8425-2556-4

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment — Croton californicus
• USDA Plants Profile: Croton californicus
• Croton californicus Photo gallery

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Croton californicus.

This Euphorbiaceae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e