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<big>''[[Croton jatrophoides]]'' Pax</big>

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Croton jatrophoides'' (PROTA)}}

:Protologue: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 43: 79 (1909).

:Family: Euphorbiaceae

== Vernacular names ==

== Origin and geographic distribution ==

Nine limonoids (tetranortriterpenoids) were isolated from a methanol extract of the root bark: dumsin, zumsin, dumnin, dumsenin, zumketol, zumsenin, zumsenol, musidunin and musiduol. Most of these compounds, extracted from plants collected near Mombasa, Kenya, showed potent antifeedant activity against the larvae of pink bollworm (''Pectinophora gossypiella'') and fall armyworm (''Spodoptera frugiperda''). Zumsenin and zumsenol were not tested as they occur in very small quantities.

Monoecious or dioecious small to medium-sized tree up to 18 m tall; young twigs stellate hairy, older twigs pinkish to greyish brown, almost glabrous. Leaves alternate, simple, turning orange before falling; stipules linear, up to 10 mm long, soon falling; petiole 3–7 cm long; blade broadly triangular-ovate, 5–15 cm × 3.5–12 cm, base cuneate to cordate, with 2 small subsessile basal glands beneath, apex acuminate, margins coarsely toothed to almost 5-lobed, densely stellate hairy on both sides, greyish green beneath, later almost glabrous. Inflorescence a slender, terminal raceme 8–19 cm long, either with only male flowers or with 3–4 female flowers at base. Flowers unisexual, 5-merous, regular, white; male flowers with pedicel 3–4 mm long, sepals elliptical-ovate, c. 2.5 mm long, stellate hairy, petals elliptical-lanceolate, 2.5–3 mm long, acute, stamens 14–15, free; female flowers with pedicel c. 2 mm long, fleshy, sepals lanceolate, c. 3 mm long, stellate hairy, petals absent, ovary superior, 2-lobed, densely stellate hairy, 2-celled, styles 2, 2-fid to base, c. 5 mm long, spreading-recurved. Fruit an ovoid, 2-lobed drupe c. 2.5 cm × 2 cm, indehiscent, stellate hairy, 2-seeded. Seeds ovoid, c. 2 cm × 1.5 cm, greyish brown mottled, slightly shiny.

''Croton'' comprises about 1200 species and occurs throughout the warmer regions of the world. It is best represented in the Americas; about 65 species occur in continental Africa and about 125 in Madagascar.

== Author(s) ==

== Correct citation of this article ==

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