Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

WOOLLY CROTON

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Croton capitatus Michx.

Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas

Annual

Height: 8-36 inches

Family: Euphorbiaceae - Spurge Family

Flowering Period: July, August, September

Stems:

Erect, usually single, often branching above, densely covered with star-shaped hairs.

Leaves:

Alternate, simple, stalked, narrowly ovate to lance-elliptic, 1 to 4 inches long, 1/4 to 3/4 inch wide, densely woolly-hairy; bases often rounded; margins entire; tips usually blunt.

Inflorescences:

Compact clusters, 1/2 to 1.25 inches long, fuzzy with brownish or purplish hairs, terminal.

Flowers:

Male and female flowers on same plant, somewhat inconspicuous; staminate flowers with 5 sepals, 5 petals, stamens 10-14; pistillate flowers with calyces deeply 6- to 9-lobed, lobes oblong to linear; petals absent; styles 3, forked 2-3 times, stigmas 12-24.

Fruits:

Capsules, nearly spherical, woolly, usually 3-seeded.

Habitat:

Dry prairies, overgrazed pastures, rocky hills, open woodlands, and roadsides, most abundant in sandy or limestone soils.

Distribution:

Principally east 1/2 and southwest 1/4 of Kansas.

Toxicity:

Woolly croton is toxic to livestock; it rarely is consumed due to its bitter taste.

Uses:

The seeds are consumed by wild turkeys.

Woolly croton pistillate flower