Description
Codiaeum – Croton –
There are about 15 species of evergreen shrubs, small trees, and evergreen perennials, in this genus. They occur from Malaysia and the larger Islands in the Eastern Pacific, found in open forest, thickets, and scrub. They produce attractive, alternate, leathery, linear to broadly ovate, simple or shallowly to deeply lobed, often variegated leaves. Tiny, star shaped yellow flowers are produced in axillary racemes intermittently throughout summer. Where not hardy grow in a warm or temperate greenhouse or as a house plant. In tropical or subtropical climates, grow in a shrub border or a courtyard garden, or as an informal hedge or screen. Contact with foliage may aggravate skin allergies.
Indoors, grow in soil based potting mix in full light, with shade from hot sum and high humidity. In growth, mist regularly, water freely, and apply a balanced liquid fertilizer every 2-3 weeks, water sparingly with tepid water in winter. Drafts and fluctuating temperatures cause leaf drop. Top dress or pot on in spring.
Prone to spider mites, scale insects, mealybugs, caterpillars, stem galls, root rot, fungal leaf spots, and bacterial leaf spots.
C. variegatum var. pictum ‘Petra’ – Garden Croton – This upright, woody based perennial grows 3-8′ feet tall and 2-5′ feet wide. It produces thick, oak leaved like, leathery leaves, to 12″ long, often with irregular lobed, first green and aging purple bronze, veined yellow then red. In summer it bears white flowers, 1/4″ across.
Zones 11-15
