Croton persimilis
Müll.Arg. in Linnaea 34: 116. 1865 & in DC., Prodr. 15(2): 618. 1866
(excl. var. glabrata) emend. Philcox in Dassan. & Clayton, Rev. Handb. Fl. Ceylon 11: 92. 1997;
Chakrab. & N.P. Balakr. in J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. 30: 298, f. 1. 2006. C. oblongifolius Roxb., Fl. Ind.,
ed. Carey 3: 685. 1832; Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 5: 386. 1887 (non Delile 1814, nec Siebr. ex Spreng.
1826). C. roxburghii N.P.Balakr. in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 3: 39. 1961 (publ. 1962), nom. illeg. non
C. roxburghii Wall. 1840. C. virbalae M.R. Almeida in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 100: 580. 2003.
Asm.: Burmaparokupi, Mahunda; Beng.: Baragach, Chucka, Putri; Garo: Bol-mangcham;
Hindi: Arjuna, Chucka; Kh.: Dieng-la-masu; Mal.: Kote, Putol, Pongalam; Mar.:
Ganasura, Gunsur; Mikir: Marthu-arong; Naga: Thing-ban-lin; Nep.: Akh; Or.: Mahasindhu,
Masundi; Sans.: Nagadanti; Tam.: Millakumari, Milagu-nari; Tel.: Bhutan-kusam, Bhutalabhairi.
Shrubs or trees, 2 - 12 (-25) m tall, deciduous; all parts except older branchlets and leaves lepidote. Leaves oblong, elliptic to ovate-oblong or obovate, rounded or shortly cordate at base, coarsely dentate-serrate or crenate along margins, acute to short-acuminate or obtuse or rounded at apex, (6 -) 10 - 45 x (3 -) 5 - 16 cm, coriaceous to firmly chartaceous, glabrous, penninerved; lateral nerves 8 - 22 pairs; basal glands sessile, often obsolete ; petioles (0.5 -) 1 - 7 (- 12) cm long, scattered lepidote, glabrescent in age; stipules linear, 4 - 7 mm long. Inflorescences 12 - 55 cm long, sometimes unisexual. Male flowers: pedicels 2 - 5 mm long; sepals ovate, elliptic to triangular, 2 - 3.5 x 1 - 2.5 mm; petals spathulate or narrowly oblong, 2 - 3.5 x 0.5 - 1.5 mm; stamens 10 - 15, 3.5 - 4.5 mm long. Female flowers: pedicels 2 - 5 mm long; sepals ovate to elliptic, 2 - 3.5 x 1 - 2.5 mm; petals spathulate to filiform, 0.3 - 1.5 mm long; ovary subglobose, 2 - 4 mm in diam.; styles 4 - 6 mm long, free, bifid. Capsules subglobose, usually slightly intruded at apex, 3-lobed, 8 - 12 mm in diam.
Fl. Oct. – Dec.; Fr. Dec. – March.
Distrib. India: Sub Himalayan tracts or warmer parts or in rain forests or deciduous forests or scrubs, up to 1300 m altitude. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, SW. China (Yunnan), Indo-China and Thailand.
Uses. The bark contains a number of closely related diterpenes, particularly oblongifoliol and deoxy-oblongifoliol, as well as a triterpene acid called acetyl aleuritelic acid (Aiyar & Seshadri, Indian J. Chem. 9: 1028, 1055. 1971 & in Curr. Sci. 41: 839 - 840. 1972). The root bark is a remedy for chronic enlargement of liver. Powdered root bark taken orally in chronic hepatitis and applied externally to sprains, bruises and rheumatic swellings. The root, bark and seeds are drastic purgative and poisonous in large doses. Oil from the seeds, which forms a substitute for croton oil (from C. tiglium), often used as insecticide in N.E. India.
Notes. Chromosome number reported is n = 10 (Bedi et al., Taxon 29: 353. 1980).
Shrubs or trees, 2 - 12 (-25) m tall, deciduous; all parts except older branchlets and leaves lepidote. Leaves oblong, elliptic to ovate-oblong or obovate, rounded or shortly cordate at base, coarsely dentate-serrate or crenate along margins, acute to short-acuminate or obtuse or rounded at apex, (6 -) 10 - 45 x (3 -) 5 - 16 cm, coriaceous to firmly chartaceous, glabrous, penninerved; lateral nerves 8 - 22 pairs; basal glands sessile, often obsolete ; petioles (0.5 -) 1 - 7 (- 12) cm long, scattered lepidote, glabrescent in age; stipules linear, 4 - 7 mm long. Inflorescences 12 - 55 cm long, sometimes unisexual. Male flowers: pedicels 2 - 5 mm long; sepals ovate, elliptic to triangular, 2 - 3.5 x 1 - 2.5 mm; petals spathulate or narrowly oblong, 2 - 3.5 x 0.5 - 1.5 mm; stamens 10 - 15, 3.5 - 4.5 mm long. Female flowers: pedicels 2 - 5 mm long; sepals ovate to elliptic, 2 - 3.5 x 1 - 2.5 mm; petals spathulate to filiform, 0.3 - 1.5 mm long; ovary subglobose, 2 - 4 mm in diam.; styles 4 - 6 mm long, free, bifid. Capsules subglobose, usually slightly intruded at apex, 3-lobed, 8 - 12 mm in diam.
Fl. Oct. – Dec.; Fr. Dec. – March.
Distrib. India: Sub Himalayan tracts or warmer parts or in rain forests or deciduous forests or scrubs, up to 1300 m altitude. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, SW. China (Yunnan), Indo-China and Thailand.
Uses. The bark contains a number of closely related diterpenes, particularly oblongifoliol and deoxy-oblongifoliol, as well as a triterpene acid called acetyl aleuritelic acid (Aiyar & Seshadri, Indian J. Chem. 9: 1028, 1055. 1971 & in Curr. Sci. 41: 839 - 840. 1972). The root bark is a remedy for chronic enlargement of liver. Powdered root bark taken orally in chronic hepatitis and applied externally to sprains, bruises and rheumatic swellings. The root, bark and seeds are drastic purgative and poisonous in large doses. Oil from the seeds, which forms a substitute for croton oil (from C. tiglium), often used as insecticide in N.E. India.
Notes. Chromosome number reported is n = 10 (Bedi et al., Taxon 29: 353. 1980).
