# Tropic Croton (*croton glandulosus*)

The Tropic Croton has bright, colorful leaves that look like they were painted! This plant loves warm, sunny places and can grow quite tall.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 2
- **Habitat:** Tropical regions, often in gardens or alongside roads.
- **Also known as:** Codiaeum variegatum, Garden Croton, Variegated Croton

![Tropic Croton](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Croton_glandulosus.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Larry Allain, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Croton_glandulosus.jpg)

## Appearance

The Tropic Croton is a slender annual herb with rough, often reddish stems. Its leaves are typically green, sometimes tinged with red, and covered in star-shaped hairs, giving them a somewhat fuzzy appearance. Tiny, inconspicuous flowers cluster at the stem tips.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Malpighiales
- **Family:** Euphorbiaceae
- **Genus:** Croton

## Interesting facts

- In some regions, this plant is seen as a sign of soil disturbance.
- Its name comes from the Greek word for 'tick,' because its seeds look like tiny ticks!
- This croton can grow from seed to flower in just a few weeks!
- Tiny ants are sometimes attracted to special nectar glands on its leaves.

## Special abilities

- **Explosive Seeds:** Tropic Croton has seed capsules that burst open when dry, flinging its seeds far from the parent plant to spread wide.
- **Sticky Shield:** Tropic Croton has glandular hairs on its leaves and stems that can make them sticky, helping to deter small pests.
- **Pioneer Power:** Tropic Croton can quickly colonize disturbed soils, growing fast to fill empty spaces before other plants arrive.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-70 cm
- **Spread:** 15-40 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.2-0.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring-fall
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits small flowers for nectar
- **Eats:** Tobacco budworm (*Heliothis virescens*) — larvae feed on the leaves
- **Symbiotic with:** [Black garden ant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-garden-ant) (*Lasius niger*) — disperses seeds that have elaiosomes

## Traits

- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Arboreal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/arboreal): Arboreal animals live primarily in trees, utilizing them for shelter, food, and protection from predators.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

The sap can be irritating to the skin, so wash hands after touching.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Tropic Croton?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Tropic Croton?

10-70 cm

### How wide does Tropic Croton spread?

15-40 cm

### How big are the flowers on Tropic Croton?

0.2-0.5 cm

### When does Tropic Croton bloom?

Spring-fall

### Is Tropic Croton edible?

No

### Is Tropic Croton toxic?

Mild

### What is Tropic Croton's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [Butterfly World](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/butterfly-world) — Florida, US · Zoo
- [Luverne Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/luverne-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District
- [Colonel Joe Kittinger Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/colonel-joe-kittinger-park) — Florida, US · Park

[View all places to see Tropic Croton](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/tropic-croton)

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Tropic Croton: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tropic-croton)