Scientific Name:
Codiaeum variegatum
var.
pictum
Pronunciation:
koh-dih-EE-um var-ee-GAY-tum
Common Name:
croton
Family Name:
Euphorbiaceae
Plant Type:
Indoor foliage plant
Key ID Features:
Tropical woody plant with milky vein sap; leaves alternate, linear to ovate, (2-)10-20(-30)cm long x (1-)3-10(-120)cm wide, leathery, white to green to dark purple, veins glossy yellow to red coloured (higly variable between cultivars and even the same plant can have many different coloured leaves).
Habit:
Stiffly upright
Form:
Round
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China, South Asia / India
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 10: (-1 to 4 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Indoor plant (Caution: poisonous parts)
Additional Info:
Google. (Note: variety "pictum" is not botanically distinct and is no longer used).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate, Spiraled
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Lustrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Yellow, Red, Several cvs. with different leaf variegation.
Shapes:
Lanceolate, Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate, Cuspidate
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Entire, Undulate (wavy)
Additional Info:
Leaves variegated
Inflorescence Type:
Raceme
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
5
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White, Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Unlikely to flower in most homes; female flowers have no petals.
Fruit Type:
Schizocarp
Fruit Colour:
Dark-red, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant, Capsule -like: mericarps (3) split open to each release a single seed
Bark Morphology:
Smooth, Lightly fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Tan, Brown
Propagation:
Softwood cuttings
Optimal Temp.:
High
Light Level:
High
Maintenance:
Low
Other:
High humidity preferred
Pest Susceptibility:
Mites, Scale insects (Disease resistant)
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
- HORT 1193/1293
- Level 3 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (GNH) GreeNHouse