Croton monanthogynus

prairie tea, prairie-tea, oneseeded croton
Family

Euphorbiaceae

Leaf Arrangement

alternate

Leaf Attachment

petiolate

Leaf Margin

entire

Leaf Type

simple

Leaf Shape

oblong, elliptic, ovate

Growth Form

forb

Flower Color

white

Flower Month

June - October

Height (meters)

0.0 - 0.5

Milky Sap

No

Armed/Unarmed

Unarmed

Origin

native

Lifespan

annual

Growing Season

Warm season


Wetland Coefficient of Conservatism

3

Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism

4

Field Characters

Usually grows on calcareous soils and only develops one seed per capsule.

Cultural Information

Seeds average approximately 48,000/lb.

Animal Use

The following information is for the genus Croton with note that C. glandulosus, C. monanthogynus, C. capitatus and C. texensis are among the most important: Animals that eat its seeds: Ground dove, Mourning dove, Eastern white-winged dove, Attwater's's prairie chicken, Bobwhite quail, Chestnut-bellied scaled quail, Wild turkey, Redwing blackbird, Cardinal, Cowbird, American pipit, Sprague pipit, Pyrrhuloxia, Pine-woods sparrow, Prairie pocket mouse. Animals that eat the plant: White-tailed deer (Martin et al. 1951).

Natural History

Abundant in calcareous soil in much of Louisiana and Texas. It ranges from the gulf states north to Maryland and west to Kansas, and Mexico (Correll and Johnston 1979). The leaves were used to make tea by early settlers.

Habitat

Limestone or basic soils, calcerous soils of prairies, open woods, pastures, roadsides.