Characteristics[edit]

The best known member of this genus is probably Croton tiglium, commonly called croton,
a tree or shrub native to Southeast Asia. It was first mentioned in European literature by Cristbal
Acosta in 1578 as lignum pavanae. Croton oil, used in herbal medicine as a violentpurgative, is
extracted from its seeds. Nowadays, it is considered unsafe and it is no longer listed in
the pharmacopeias of many countries.

Uses[edit]
Traditional uses[edit]
Croton oil has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat severe constipation, heal lesions,
and is used as a purgative.[citation needed]It is a source of the organic compound phorbol and its tumorpromoting esters such as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. In the Amazon the red latex from
the species Croton lechleri, known as Sangre de Drago (Dragon's blood), is used as a "liquid
bandage", as well as for other medicinal purposes, by native peoples. [3]

Food uses[edit]
Cascarilla (C. eluteria) bark is used to flavour the liqueurs Campari and Vermouth.[4]

Biofuel uses[edit]
It has recently been shown in Kenya that Croton nuts, such as those from C. megalocarpus,[5] are a
more economical source of biofuelthan Jatropha. In Kenya, Jatropha requires as much as 20,000
litres of water to make a litre of biofuel, while Croton trees grow wild and yield about .35 litres of oil
per kilo of nuts. Croton trees are planted as a windbreak in Kenya and its use as a source of biofuel
may benefit rural economies there. As arable land is under population pressure, people have been
cutting down the windbreaks to expand farmland. This new use may save the windbreaks which
should help fight desertification.

Ecology[edit]
Croton species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Schinia
citrinellus, which feeds exclusively on the plant.

Distribution[edit]

Croton tiglium

The genus is pantropical, with some species extending into temperate areas.[6] It is one of the largest
and most complex genera ofangiosperms in Madagascar, where up to 150 Croton species are
endemic.[7]

Formerly placed here[edit]

Acalypha chamaedrifolia (Lam.)

Mll.Arg.

(as C. chamaedrifoliusLam.)

Macaranga grandifolia (Blanco) Merr. (as C.

grandifolius Blanco)

Astraea lobata (L.) Klotzsch (as C. lobatus L.)

Caperonia palustris (L.) A.St.-Hil. (as C.

Mallotus japonicus (L.f.) Mll.Arg. (as C.

japonicus L.f.)

palustris L.)

Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) Mll.Arg. (as C.

philippensis Lam.)

Chrozophora plicata (Vahl) A.Juss. ex

Spreng.

(as C. plicatus Vahl)

Mallotus repandus (Rottler ex Willd.)

Mll.Arg.

(as C. repandus Rottler ex Willd.)

Claoxylon indicum (Reinw. ex Blume)

Hassk.

(as C. polot Burm.f.)

Savia sessiliflora (Sw.) Willd. (as C.

sessiliflorus Sw.)

Codiaeum variegatum (L.) A.Juss. (as C.

variegatus L.)

Homalanthus nutans (G.Forst.) Guill. (as C.

nutans G.Forst.)

Terminalia bentzoe (L.) L.f. (as C. bentzoe L.)

Triadica sebifera (L.) Small (as C. sebifer L.)[8]

See also[edit]