Croton scabiosus

Croton scabiosus Bedd., Fl. Sylv. S. India 283 1872. (syn: Oxydectes scabiosa (Bedd.) Kuntze);

/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Croton%20scabiousus%20twig.JPG

 

/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Croton%20scabiosus%20tree.JPG
Submission of Croton scabiosus : 4 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (3)
Croton scabiosus Bedd., Fl. Sylv. S. India: 283. 1872.
Ver.names: Silver leaved croton (Eng.); Chilla, verrichilla (Tel.).
Description:
Deciduous trees 3-5m tall; bark rough, deeply fissured, blackish-brown, young branches tomentose. Leaves alternate; lamina 5-15 × 2-8cm ovate-rhomboid, base coradte, serrate, apex subacute, lepidote-silvery scale on both surfaces, scabrid, coriaceous, leaves turn orange before falling. Flowers greenish yellow, 3-4mm across, in 5-15cm long densely arranged androgynous terminal racemes. Staminate flowers 2-3 at each node, at the upper part of the raceme; 3-4mm across; stamens more than 15, exerted. Carpellate flowers: pedicels short, stout; perianth lobes 5, margins densely woolly; ovary globose, warty; styles 3, bifid. Capsule 8-10 mm in diam., greenish-yellow, globose; outer wall warty.   
Habitat & location: Endemic to E.ghats. Few plants are found in Velugonda hill range at Rapur- Kutalamarri ghat.

Thanks, …, for adding a new species in efi.

This endemic species is so far known to occur only in Andhra Pradesh.  You can cultivate it as an ornamental for the attractive foliage.

References:

Catalogue of Life  The Plant List Ver.1.1  WCSP  GBIF  BSI Flora of India  India Biodiversity Portal (observation)  Distribution and conservation status of Croton scabies’s Bedd.  1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants By Kerry Scott Walter, Harriet J. Gillett, World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *