Tropic Croton
Croton glandulosus
This plant features specialized extrafloral nectaries—tiny glands at the leaf bases that secrete sugary fluid to recruit aggressive ants as bodyguards against hungry caterpillars.
- Scientific name
- Croton glandulosus
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Malpighiales › Euphorbiaceae › Croton
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Sandy fields, roadsides, pastures, disturbed grasslands, and open pine flatwoods.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthetic)
- Range
- North America, Central America, South America, Caribbean
- Size
- 30 to 80 cm tall
- Lifespan
- 1-2 years (annual or short-lived perennial)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Intensive herbicide application in agricultural fields and extreme habitat urbanization.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to observe, but do not ingest any part of this plant, as its sap and seeds contain toxic compounds. The bristly stellate hairs on its stem can cause mild skin irritation; wear gloves if handling. If skin irritation occurs, wash the area with soap and water. If ingested by humans or pets, seek medical or veterinary assistance immediately.
Croton glandulosus has many common names such as vente conmigo, tooth-leaved croton, tropic croton and sand croton. It is part of the Euphorbiaceae family which is also known as the Spurge Family and it contains about 321 genera and 7,950 species. The family derives its name from Euphorbus who was a Trojan War hero in Greek mythology, and was also the Greek Physician of King Juba of Numidia. The genus, Croton, is derived from Greek, meaning...
Photo: Zihao Wang, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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