Ooops I hit the publish button accidently. So tomorrow will be Part 1. And a morning post instead of evening for today.
Did you hold your breath and turn blue. I sure hope not. So here are the next two Croton species at the Pollinator Ranch.
First is the One-seed Croton. iNaturalist calls it Prairie Tea (Croton monanthogynus). Wildflower.org lists Prairie Tea, One-seed Croton, Doveweed, Dove Weed, and Prairie Goatweed. Apparently according to wildflower.org “a very mild tea can be made by steeping the leaves hence the common name”. I got a lot so maybe I will try that sometime. Or let me know if you do.
Look at the leaf shape. The leaves are mostly blunt or round at the apex. However not always. Additionally the leaves range from ovate-oblong to elliptic to lanceolate. And the overall appearance is greener than some of the other Crotons. Oh yeah, the Crotons are the host plant for Goatweed Leafwing butterfly. Did you find the cat in this photo?
There are two styles that bifid to the base.
Its capsule only has two bifid (deeply notched) styles! Loupe needed.
The sepals are grasping the capsule here.
And that is not dirt in the center of some of the stellate hairs. I don’t know why they are brown but it is a characteristic of this species. Loupe required.
And the reason for the common name I like, One-seed Croton. It measures about 2 x 3 mm.
The Threeseed Croton (Croton lindheimerianus) snuck up on me. It was the fourth Croton I found. Unlike the other Crotons I have presented, this one has only one common name that I found. Why? Seems pretty strange since a lot of the Crotons have three seeds. Go figure. LOL.
Another closer view of the Threeseed Croton’s leaves. Additionally note the leaves have a grayer appearance than the One-seeded Croton.
Its name sake ( Threeseed Croton), three seeds.
The 3 styles are bifid (deeply notched) to the base. Threeseed Croton. Once again a loupe is helpful.
Well there you have it, the four Croton species on the Pollinator Ranch!
Well now you will get the next two tomorrow in part 1. 🤣
The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more you know
8 Comments
I’ll be looking more closely now at all the croton here – I pretty much have been calling them all dove weed too – no more!
Great photo of the worm’s mouth. And who would have thought anteaters and armadillos were related?
I learned a long time ago that armadillos and anteaters are related. And it makes sense – poor eyesight, keen sense of smell, their trunklike nose, the way they “lick” up their buggy prey. As I was reading about the way anteaters eat mostly ants, I was thinking this could be a good control for fire ants. Then I remembered – armadillos are the only thing I know that really attack fire ant mounds, quickly devouring lots of the ants.
Changing subjects, I had a one-seed croton pop up in one of my landscape beds. I really wanted to attract a goatweed leafwing butterfly, so I left it grow….and grow….and grow. It got huge, but I didn’t get a single cat or butterfly on it.
I’ll be looking more closely now at all the croton here – I pretty much have been calling them all dove weed too – no more!
Great photo of the worm’s mouth. And who would have thought anteaters and armadillos were related?
It never came up in my thoughts about a relationship. 🤷🏻♀️
Thank you for the very up-close views!
You’re welcome ☺️
Also related to sloths. Surprising too.
I learned a long time ago that armadillos and anteaters are related. And it makes sense – poor eyesight, keen sense of smell, their trunklike nose, the way they “lick” up their buggy prey. As I was reading about the way anteaters eat mostly ants, I was thinking this could be a good control for fire ants. Then I remembered – armadillos are the only thing I know that really attack fire ant mounds, quickly devouring lots of the ants.
Changing subjects, I had a one-seed croton pop up in one of my landscape beds. I really wanted to attract a goatweed leafwing butterfly, so I left it grow….and grow….and grow. It got huge, but I didn’t get a single cat or butterfly on it.
Darn you didn’t get a cat. Maybe next time🤞🏼
The one seed croton I got from your house are thriving in our yard now. Very cool to know which one it is!