Author | Michaux | |
Distribution | Scattered from Anson and Durham counties southeast to the southern barrier islands.
Native of the U.S. from OH to NE south to AL and TX; records east of the Appalachians are considered adventive by FNA and Weakley (2018). | |
Abundance | Rare, but likely more numerous than records indicate. | |
Habitat | Borrow pit, sandy field, edge of cornfield, sandy roadside, back dunes near saltmarsh. | |
Phenology | Flowering and fruiting July-October. | |
Identification | Woolly Croton is a relatively robust annual, reaching 2 or more feet tall. Leaves are well-spaced, long-stalked, elliptical to lanceolate, without marginal teeth, both sides stellate-pubescent and without silvery scales; the leaves are quite glaucous pale green in color. The large leaf blades are about 2 times the size of C. lindheimerianus, C. monanthogynus, and C. punctatus. This is the main foodplant of the Goatweed Leafwing butterfly, even eastward into SC, where the plant is supposedly not native. | |
Taxonomic Comments | | |
Other Common Name(s) | | |
State Rank | SE | |
Global Rank | G5 | |
State Status | | |
US Status | | |
USACE-agcp | | |
USACE-emp | | |