Croton (plant)
genus of plants
Croton is an extensive plant genus in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The plants of this genus were described and introduced to Europeans by Georg Eberhard Rumphius. The common names for this genus are rushfoil and croton, but the latter also refers to Codiaeum variegatum. The generic name comes from the Greek κρότος (krótos), which means "tick" 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. 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, is extracted from its seeds. Currently, it is considered unsafe and it is no longer listed in the pharmacopeia of many countries.
Taxonomy
Species
Sections
The sections and subsections of the genus Croton:
Uses
Food uses
Cascarilla (C. eluteria) bark is used to flavour the liquors Campari and Vermouth.
“Croton (plant)” enters the record as genus of plants. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Croton, plant and genus can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q519802. The Library of Congress control number is sh85034314. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1578.
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This entry incorporates text from “Croton (plant)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.