Croton michauxii

Croton michauxii
Photo by Matthew Merritt, Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
Order:	Euphorbiales
Family:	Euphorbiaceae
Genus:	Croton
Species:	C. michauxii
Binomial name
Croton michauxii G.L. Webster
Natural range of Croton michauxii from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: Michaux's croton

Taxonomic notes

Synonyms: Croton willdenowii, Crotonopsis elliptica

Description

The leaves of C. michauxii are arranged opposite, the green and white flowers are arranged on a spike .

Ecology

Habitat

In the Coastal Plain in Florida, C. michauxii can be found at lake margins; mesic woodlands; pine flatwoods; longleaf pine-turkey oak sandhills; open oak scrubs; upland pine/oak forests; and cypress ponds. It can be found in human disturbed areas such as open firelanes, roadsides, clear cut sand ridges, old fields, pastures, bulldozed oak scrubs, clobbered slash pine forests, and pine plantations (FSU Herbarium). Soil types include sand and loamy sand (FSU Herbarium). Associated species include Quercus virginiana, Q. laevis, Q. incana, Q. myrtifolia, Q. chapmanii, Serenoa repens, Paronychia patula, Paronychia baldwinii and Chrysopsis subulata (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

Flowers and fruits July through October (FSU Herbarium).

Pollination

The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Croton michauxii at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):

Halictidae: Lasioglossum coreopsis, L. lepidii, L. nymphalis, L. placidensis

Sphecidae: Cerceris blakei, C. tolteca, Philanthus ventilabris, Tachysphex similis

Vespidae: Microdynerus monolobus, Parancistrocerus salcularis rufulus, Stenodynerus fundatiformis, S. histrionalis rufustus, S. lineatifrons

References and notes

Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: July 2015. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, George R. Cooley, R.J. Eaton, R.K. Godfrey, R.D. Houk, C. Jackson, Lisa Keppner, R. Kral, Robert L. Lazor, S.W. Leonard, Richard S. Mitchell, John Morrill, Leon Neel, R.A. Norris, R.E. Perdue Jr., Gwynn W. Ramsey, James D. Ray Jr., A.G. Shuey, J. Sincock, Cecil R. Slaughter, Wakulla, D.B. Ward, A.A. Will. States and Counties: Florida: Citrus, DeSoto, Dixie, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Lake, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Putnam, Nassau, Seminole, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla, Washington. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.