Croton glandulosus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
Genus: | Croton |
Species: | C. glandulosus |
Binomial name | |
Croton glandulosus L. | |
Croton glandulosus is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae that has many common names such as vente conmigo, tooth-leaved croton, tropic croton and sand croton. [1] The species's specific epithet, glandulosus, is due to the gland-like structures that appear at the end of the leaf stalk. C. glandulosus and various other species are found to be common weeds in gardens, crops, and lawns. [2] [3] This species in particular is highly problematic in crops such as cotton and peanuts in the Southeastern United States. [2] [4]
C. glandulosus is a weedy summer annual herbaceous plant, growing from 4 to 24 inches in height. It is characterized by a pungently fragrant tap root from which its stem grows, and also by stellate hairs and glands on its stem and leaves. [5] [6] The leaves are alternate and oval-shaped when young, but as they mature, they become more lance-shaped and elliptical. The edges of the leaves are serrated or toothed, which makes this species easy to identify. The leaves are located on small petioles, and have a white, oval-like gland on either side of the petiole as the it meets the stem. The leaves of the plant are whorled and they occur below the flowers. The greater and lesser surface of the leaf has small stellate hairs, and when the leaf is crushed, it gives off a unique odor. [7]
Typically, the flowering season for the tropic croton is from July to October. [4] It has white terminal flowers which are 4 or 5-parted, monoecious, and occur in racemose clusters at the ends of the plant's stems. Female flowers tend to have 4 sepals with 4 petals while males only have 5 sepals and no petals. The plant fruits from August to October and the fruit has a brown capsule of three chambers, having three seeds that are shiny, grayish-tan, stippled with black, and oval-shaped. [8]
The seedling stems underneath the cotyledons, which are mostly cased with hairs that give off a star-shaped look. The cotyledons tend to be 5 to 7 mm long by 7 to 10 mm wide, [9] dense, heart-shaped, and have palmate venation. Additionally, the first true leaves that emerge are toothed and egg-shaped. [7]
Tropic croton can easily be confused with Eclipta prostrata because of its similar appearance and structure. However, the leaves of Eclipta prostrata are more linear and arranged oppositely, whereas the leaves on the tropic croton are arranged alternately. The tropic croton can also be confused with Sida spinosa in terms of its growth patterns and appearance, but Sida spinosa lacks the disc-like glands that appear above and below the petiole, and the stellate pubescent hairs that are characteristic of tropic crotons. [7] The seeds and flowers of Sida spinosa are also very different from the tropic croton due to the plants being in different families.
Tropic croton can be typically found in dry or sandy soil, fields, pastures, river terraces, cultivated fields, waste grounds, and along roadsides and railroads.
Croton glandulosus can be found throughout the Southeastern United States, Central America, and in some parts of South America. [10] It is native to the south-central U.S. and is mostly prevalent in the coastal plain and Piedmont in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. It has even spread to regions as far north as Indiana and Iowa. It has been noted in New Jersey "along the railroad above Bishops Bridge" on a bed of "loose cinder railroad-ballast" and in Philadelphia. [11]
A frond is a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group. Other botanists allow the term frond to also apply to the large leaves of cycads, as well as palms (Arecaceae) and various other flowering plants, such as mimosa or sumac. "Frond" is commonly used to identify a large, compound leaf, but if the term is used botanically to refer to the leaves of ferns and algae it may be applied to smaller and undivided leaves.
Sidalcea oregana var. calva, the Wenatchee Mountains checker-mallow, is a very rare flowering plant variety that occurs only in five locations in the Wenatchee Mountains of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The plant has been placed on the Endangered species list. It is the rarest known plant in Washington state.
Aralia spinosa, commonly known as devil's walking stick, is a woody species of plant in the genus Aralia, family Araliaceae, native to eastern North America. The various names refer to the viciously sharp, spiny stems, petioles, and even leaf midribs. It has also been known as Angelica-tree.
Sida rhombifolia, commonly known as arrowleaf sida, is a perennial or sometimes annual plant in the Family Malvaceae, native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. Other common names include rhombus-leaved sida, Paddy's lucerne, jelly leaf, and also somewhat confusingly as Cuban jute, Queensland-hemp, and Indian hemp. Synonyms include Malva rhombifolia. It is used in Ayurvedic medicine, where it is known as kurumthotti.
Lepidium draba, also known as whitetop, hoary cress, or Thanet cress, is a rhizomatous perennial flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is native to western Asia and southeastern Europe and has been widely introduced elsewhere.
Gossypium arboreum, commonly called tree cotton, is a species of cotton native to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and other tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World. There is evidence of its cultivation as long ago as the Harappan civilization of the Indus Valley for the production of cotton textiles. The shrub was included in Linnaeus's Species Plantarum published in 1753. The holotype was also supplied by him, which is now in the Linnean Herbarium in the Swedish Museum of Natural History.
Emilia sonchifolia, also known as lilac tasselflower or cupid's shaving brush, is tropical flowering species of tasselflower in the sunflower family. It is widespread in tropical regions around the world, apparently native to Asia and naturalized in Africa, Australia, the Americas, and various oceanic islands.
Acalypha rhomboidea is a plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae.
Boerhavia coccinea is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family which is known by many common names, including scarlet spiderling, red boerhavia, and in Spanish, hierba del cancer and hierba de la hormiga.
Tetratheca stenocarpa, commonly known as long pink-bells, is a small shrub in the family Elaeocarpaceae. It is endemic to Victoria in Australia.
Abelmoschus ficulneus is a species of flowering plant in the genus Abelmoschus, family Malvaceae. Commonly known as white wild musk mallow or native rosella, it is fibrous perennial with a woody stem. Its flowers are about an inch in diameter, either pink or white, with a rose center; its leaves are palmate.
Harungana madagascariensis is a flowering plant found in Madagascar that is commonly known as the dragon's blood tree, orange-milk tree or haronga.
Croton gratissimus, is a tropical African shrub or small tree with corky bark, growing to 8 m and belonging to the family of Euphorbiaceae or spurges. Young twigs are slender and angular and covered in silver and rust-coloured scales.
Melochia corchorifolia, the chocolateweed, is a weedy tropical plant that is typically seen in the wastelands. It has been most frequently observed to grow in open areas, such as highways. Although Melochia corchorifolia does not have any common usage, it has been utilized as a homeopathic remedy. Its weedy and invasive characteristic inhibits its wider cultivation.
Bossiaea prostrata, commonly known as creeping bossiaea, is a prostrate understory shrub in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is a widespread species with orange-yellow flowers, purple-brown keels and trailing branches.
Teucrium corymbosum, commonly known as forest germander, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is native to Australia and New Guinea. It is a perennial herb or subshrub densely covered with glands and with narrow egg-shaped leaves usually with toothed edges, and groups of mostly up to ten white flowers.
Sida mysorensis, common name in India Mysore fanpetals, is a plant species native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been reported from the wild in Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, India, Pakistan and southern China, and is cultivated elsewhere. It grows in grassy slopes, on roadsides, and in forest boundaries.
Prostanthera spinosa, commonly known as spiny mintbush, is a shrub that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has mauve to white flowers, spiny stems and aromatic foliage.
Brunnichia ovata is a species of the buckwheat family that is found in North America. It was reassigned from the genus Rajania to Brunnichia by Lloyd Shinners in the publication Sida in 1967. Formerly it had been placed in Rajania by Thomas Walter in Flora Caroliniana in 1778. Brunnichia ovata plants grow near riverbanks, the perimeters of lakes, wet woods and thickets. This species is found in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae. Brunnichia ovata is referred to by two other common names including American buckwheat vine and redvine.
Hypericum elodeoides, commonly called the Himalayan St. John's Wort, is a species of flowering plant of the St. John's wort family (Hypericaceae).
Much of its southeastern U.S. range is considered non-native or potentially non-native. [12] This plant is becoming problematic for many agronomic crops such as corn, soybeans, cotton, and many others in southeast Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia. [4] [2]
The increasing prevalence of tropic croton in the Southeastern United States has had a negative effect on the growth of many crops. Although limited research has been conducted to study the competitiveness of tropic croton, multiple studies have shown the troublesome nature of this plant. Research illustrated that tropic croton is the third most problematic weed in peanuts and the fifth most troublesome weed in cotton. [2] Possible reasons for its increasing prevalence and competitiveness are its ability to effectively release multiple mature seeds, which are quickly consumed by birds and thus are easily dispersed. Also, multiple herbicides that are used in cotton and peanuts are less effective on tropic croton, which further increases its occurrence. [13]
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