Botanical name: Croton zeylanicus    Family: Euphorbiaceae (Castor family)
Synonyms: Oxydectes zeylanica, Croton reticulatus Wall. ex Müll.Arg.

Ceylon croton is a shrub, densely covered with brown, frilly scales. Interestingly, the genus name Croton comes from Ancient Greek word kroton, which means sheep tick, as the seeds of these plants resemble sheep tick. Leaves are up to 20 x 6 cm, ovate-lanceshaped, long-pointed, rounded at base, white-scaly below. Lateral nerves are 6-10 pairs, glands 1 pair, stalks 1-3 cm long. Flowers are borne in racemes 6 cm long. Female flowers are stalked, 4 mm across, sepals ovate, blunt, petals obovate, smaller, velvety, ovary brown starry-hairy, styles 3, each 3 fid and then 2 fid, glabrous. Male flowers are smaller, stamens many, filaments hairless. Capsule are 1.3 x 1 cm, ovoid, seeds 8 x7 mm, oblong, mottled with brown. Ceylon croton is found in Peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Flowering: March-October.

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The flower labeled Ceylon Croton is ...