''Croton'' is an extensive

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

in the

spurge ''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to t ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as '' Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, ...

. The plants of this genus were described and introduced to Europeans by

Georg Eberhard Rumphius Georg Eberhard Rumphius (originally: Rumpf; baptized c. 1 November 1627 – 15 June 1702) was a German-born botanist employed by the Dutch East India Company in what is now eastern Indonesia, and is best known for his work ''Herbarium Amboinense' ...

. The common names for this genus are rushfoil and croton, but the latter also refers to ''

Codiaeum variegatum ''Codiaeum variegatum'' (fire croton, garden croton, or variegated croton; syn. ''Croton variegatum'' L.) is a species of plant in the genus ''Codiaeum'', which is a member of the family Euphorbiaceae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. I ...

''. The generic name comes from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

('), which means "

tick Ticks (order Ixodida) are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living by ...

" and refers to the shape of the seeds of certain species.

Description

''Croton'' is a diverse and complex taxonomic group of plants ranging from herbs and shrubs to trees. A well-known member of this genus is '' Croton tiglium'', a shrub native to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

. It was first mentioned in European literature by Cristóbal Acosta in 1578 as lignum pavanae. The oil, used in herbal medicine as a violent

purgative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

, is extracted from its

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s. Currently, it is considered unsafe and it is no longer listed in the

pharmacopeia A pharmacopoeia, pharmacopeia, or pharmacopoea (from the obsolete typography ''pharmacopœia'', meaning "drug-making"), in its modern technical sense, is a book containing directions for the identification of compound medicines, and published by ...

s of many countries.

Taxonomy

Uses

Traditional uses

''C. tiglium'' oil has been used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of acti ...

to treat severe

constipation Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the bowel movement ...

or heal lesions, and is used as a purgative. Wang Haogu first observed that croton seeds could also be used to treat diarrhea. It is a source of the organic compound

phorbol Phorbol is a natural, plant-derived organic compound. It is a member of the tigliane family of diterpenes. Phorbol was first isolated in 1934 as the hydrolysis product of croton oil, which is derived from the seeds of the purging croton, ''Croton ...

and its tumor-promoting

ester In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides a ...

s, such as 12-''O''-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. In the Amazon, the red latex from the species ''C. lechleri'', known as

sangre de drago ''Croton lechleri'' is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, that is native to northwestern South America. It is commonly known as ''sangre de grado'' (Peruvian Spanish), ''sangre de drago'' (Ecuadorian Spanish) or '' ...

(dragon's blood), is used as a "liquid bandage", as well as for other medicinal purposes, by native peoples.

Food uses

Cascarilla ('' C. eluteria'') bark is used to flavour the liquor

Campari Campari () is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an apéritif (20.5%, 21%, 24%, 25%, or 28.5% ABV, depending on the country where it is sold), obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit (including chinotto and cascarilla) in alcohol a ...

and

Vermouth Vermouth (, ) is an aromatized fortified wine, flavoured with various botanicals (roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs, and spices) and sometimes colored. The modern versions of the beverage were first produced in the mid- to late 18th centur ...

Biofuel uses

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

, ''Croton'' nuts, such as those from '' C. megalocarpus'', were found to be a more economical source of biofuel than ''

Jatropha curcas ''Jatropha curcas'' is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, that is native to the American tropics, most likely Mexico and Central America. It is originally native to the tropical areas of the Americas from Mexico t ...

''. ''Jatropha curcas'' requires as much as 20,000 L of water to make a litre of biofuel, while ''Croton'' trees grow wild and yield about 35% oil. ''Croton'' trees are planted as a

windbreak A windbreak (shelterbelt) is a planting usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner as to provide shelter from the wind and to protect soil from erosion. They are commonly planted in hedgerows around the edges ...

in Kenya, and its use as a source of biofuel may benefit rural economies there. As arable land is under

population pressure Population pressure, a term summarizing the stress brought about by an excessive population density and its consequences, is used both in conjunction with human overpopulation and with other animal populations that suffer from too many individuals ...

, people have been cutting down the windbreaks to expand farmland. This new use may save the windbreaks, which should help fight desertification.

Ecology

''Croton'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of some Lepidoptera species, including '' Schinia citrinellus'', which feeds exclusively on the plant. Croton Petra

Distribution

Croton tiglium - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-197

The genus is

pantropical A pantropical ("all tropics") distribution is one which covers tropical regions of both hemispheres. Examples of species include caecilians, modern sirenians and the plant genera ''Acacia'' and ''Bacopa''. ''Neotropical'' is a zoogeographic term ...

, with some species extending into temperate areas.''Croton'' L.
USDA PLANTS It is one of the largest and most complex genera of angiosperms in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, where up to 150 ''Croton'' species are endemic.

Formerly placed here

References

External links

Croton Research Network

{{Authority control Euphorbiaceae genera Medicinal plants Pantropical flora