Jul 24, 6:46 PM

PlantFiles: Silver Croton, Healing Croton
Croton argyranthemus

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Family: Euphorbiaceae (yoo-for-bee-AY-see-ay) (Info)
Genus: Croton (KROH-tun) (Info)
Species: argyranthemus

Synonym:Drepadenium argyranthes
Synonym:Oxydectes argyranthema

Category:
Perennials

Height:
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
24-36 in. (60-90 cm)

Spacing:
12-15 in. (30-38 cm)

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)

Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Sun to Partial Shade

Danger:
Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested

Bloom Color:
White/Near White

Bloom Time:
Mid Spring
Late Spring/Early Summer
Mid Summer
Late Summer/Early Fall
Mid Fall

Foliage:
Silver/Gray

Other details:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Self-sows freely; deadhead if you do not want volunteer seedlings next season

Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)

Propagation Methods:
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; direct sow after last frost

Seed Collecting:
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds

By MotherNature4

Profile:

1 positive
No neutrals
No negatives

Gardeners' Notes:

Rating	Author	Comment
Positive	MotherNature4	On Aug 10, 2004, MotherNature4 from Bartow, FL (Zone 9a) wrote: A well-known healing plant in folk and Native American medicine, the clear sap of this plant has an antiseptic quality. It has long been used to aid the healing of cuts and scratches. Allowed to drip on a cut, the sap forms a thin protective coating. The alternate, simple leaves have entire margins and are linear to elliptic in shape. The upper leaves are covered with silvery scales. The lower leaf surfaces have brown colored scales, which appear as brown flecks. They are most interesting to observe with magnification. The stems are also covered with the same colored scales. They are found on dry pinelands and sandhills throughout central and north Florida, also along the Coastal Plain from Georgia to Texas.

Regional...

This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:

Bartow, Florida

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