Croton glandulosus L., Syst. ed. 10, 2: 1275. 1795. var. hirtus (L'Her.) Müll.Arg. in DC. Prodr. 15(2): 684. 1866. C. hirtus L'Her., Stirp. Nov. 1: 17, t. 9. 1785; V.S.Ramach. et al. in Indian J. Forest. 15(2): 183, f. 1. 1992; Govearts et al., World Checkl. & Bibl. Euphorbiaceae 2: 461. 2000.

Herbs, annual, erect, up to 50 cm high; stems woody; branches densely hirsute. Leaves triangular-ovate, rhombate-ovate to suborbicular, rounded, obtuse to subtruncate at base, denticulate-serrulate along margins, acute at apex, 2 - 9 x 1 - 4.5 cm, membranous to thinly chartaceous, scattered strigose, strongly trinerved at base; lateral nerves 3 - 5 pairs; basal glands long-stipitate; petioles 0.4 - 2.8 cm long, hirtellous; stipules filiform, 3 - 5 mm long. Inflorescences up to 4 cm long; rachis densely hirsute and with branched capitate glands towards base; bracts 2 - 4 mm long, fringed with slender capitate glands. Male flowers: pedicels 1 - 1.5 mm long; sepals obovate to elliptic, 1.5 - 1.8 x ca 1 mm; petals spathulate, ca 1.8 x 1 mm; stamens 10 - 11, ca 2 mm long; anthers oblong, ca 0.5 mm long. Female flowers: pedicels ca 0.5 mm long; sepals unequal, narrowly oblong to oblanceolate, the larger ones 3 - 4 x 0.8 - 1.5 mm, the smaller ones 1 - 2 x 0.2 - 0.5 mm, shallowly denticulate along margins; petals filiform, ca 0.3 mm long, sometimes obsolete; ovary globose, ca 1 mm in diam., densely hirsute; styles ca 2 mm long. Capsules globose, 3-lobed, 4.5 - 5 mm in diam., brown, thin-walled, scattered hirsute; pedicels ca 1 mm long.

Fl. & Fr. Apr. - May, Oct.

Distrib. India: A weed in wastelands, near streams and wetlands, up to 550 m altitude. Sometimes found in dry deciduous forests. Tamil Nadu (Southern districts) and Kerala (Malappuram and Alappuzha Districts).

Native to W. Indies and C. & S. America, becoming an aggressive weed in tropical Africa and Asia.

List of Lower Taxa