Croton section Cleodora (Klotzsch) Baillon (1858: 369)

Caruzo, Maria Beatriz Rossi & Cordeiro, Inês, 2013, Taxonomic revision of Croton section Cleodora (Euphorbiaceae), Phytotaxa 121 (1), pp. 1-41 : 2-3

Croton section Cleodora (Klotzsch) Baillon (1858: 369) ≡ Cleodora Klotzsch (1841: 196) . Type:— Cleodora

sellowiana Klotzsch (1841: 197) [= Croton sphaerogynus Baillon (1864: 326) ].

Croton section Stolidanthus Baillon (1864: 323) . Type:— Croton heterocalyx Baillon (1864: 324) (lectotype designated by Webster 1993: 800).

Trees or shrubs, rarely climbing, monoecious, generally laticiferous; latex clear to reddish; covered with appressed-stellate, stellate-lepidote, or lepidote subentire trichomes, rarely stellate or multiradiate trichomes. Leaves entire, alternate, with a pair of basilaminar ( Fig. 1E , detail) or acropetiolar ( Fig. 2A , detail) glands, usually sessile, rarely stipitate. Inflorescences terminal, rarely axillary, sometimes apparently branched (i.e., some branchlets just below each inflorescence produce other inflorescences simultaneously, resembling a unique branched inflorescence) basal cymules bisexual, rarely unisexual or falsely unisexual. Staminate flowers dichlamydeous, campanulate, rarely subcampanulate, valvate or slightly imbricate aestivation, sepals usually united up to half of their length, stamens 15–25. Pistillate flowers monochlamydeous, rarely apparently monochlamydeous (with petals reduced to ovoid or ellipsoid glands), slightly zygomorphic or actinomorphic, sessile or pedicellate, campanulate, flask-shaped or urn-shaped, imbricate or quincuncial aestivation ( Fig. 2B ), styles 3, 4-fid (12 terminal arms) or multifid (> 12 terminal arms), united at the base or further up, usually forming a conspicuous “crown” or a column ( Fig. 8I ). Fruits globose, ellipsoid or subglobose (usually trigonal; Fig. 5H ), with calyx persistent, sometimes inflated ( Fig. 7L ) and strongly accrescent. Seeds with a small caruncle.

Croton section Cleodora is exclusively Neotropical, with 18 species disjunctly distributed between Mexico, Central America, north and northwest South America, and eastern Brazil. The main center of diversity of the section is located in eastern Brazil, where 12 of the 18 species belonging to the section occur. Species of C. section Cleodora , as most Croton species , are important elements of secondary vegetation, occupying forests borders or clearings in pluvial or seasonally dry forests.

Caruzo et al. (2011), in their molecular phylogenetic study, recognized two subsections within Croton section Cleodora , C. subsection Sphaerogyni Caruzo (2011: 204) and C. subsection Spruceani Caruzo (2011: 204) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–D. Croton billbergianus. A. Flowering branch, detail of foliar trichomes and extrafloral nectaries (Hernadez 100). B. Staminate flower (Hernadez 100). C. Fruit (Carballo 493). D. Seed (Carballo 493). E–H. Croton cajucara. E. Flowering branch, detail of foliar trichomes and extrafloral nectaries (Zarucchi et al. 2655). F. Pistillate flower (Rodriguez s.n.), G. Gynoecium (Rodriguez s.n.). H. Fruit (Caruzo & Riina 98).

FIGURE 2. A–K. Croton campanulatus. A. Flowering branch. B. acropetiolar gland. C. lepidote subentire trichomes. D. Pistillate flower. E. Gynoecium detail. F. Disk at the base of the gynoecium. G. Fruit. H. Seed. I. Staminate flower. J. Pistillate flower aestivation. K. Staminate flower aestivation. (Caruzo et al. 93; illustration from Caruzo et al. 2008).

FIGURE 5. A–C. Croton organensis. A. Flowering branch, detail of basilaminar gland and serrate foliar margin (Caruzo et al. 72). B. Details of flattened branchlets and stipule (Caruzo et al. 72). C. Pistillate flower (Caruzo et al. 72). D–H. Croton orinocensis. D. Flowering branch, detail of foliar trichomes (Gentry & Berry 14581). E. Stipule (Gentry & Berry 14581). F. floral bract (Gentry & Berry 14581). G. Young fruit (Gentry & Berry 14581). H. Mature fruit (Gentry & Berry 14581).

FIGURE 7. A–F. Croton salutaris. A. Flowering branch (Pifano & Castro, 327). B. Pistillate flower, detail of calyx indument (Pifano & Castro 327). C. Gynoecium (Pifano & Castro 327). D. Reduced pistillate petal (Pifano & Castro 327). E. Stamen, dorsal and ventral views (Pifano & Castro 327). F. Fruit (Caruzo et al. 81). G–M. Croton spruceanus. G. Flowering branch (Caruzo & Riina 101). H. Bract (Caruzo & Riina 101). I. Pistillate flower (Caruzo & Riina 101). J. Gynoecium (Caruzo & Riina 101). K. Staminate flower (Caruzo & Riina 101). L. Fruit covered by inflated calyx lobes (Caruzo & Riina 101). M. Fruit (Caruzo & Riina 101).

FIGURE 8. A–E. Croton stellatoferrugineus. A. Flowering branch. B. Floral bract, dorsal and ventral views. C. Pistillate flower. D. Gynoecium. E. Seed, dorsal view; A–E. (Cordeiro et al. 303). F–J. Croton sphaerogynus. F. Flowering branch. G. Floral bract, dorsal view. H. Pistillate flower. I. Gynoecium. J. Seed, dorsal view; F–J. (Caruzo & Lima 121; illustration from Caruzo et al. 2010a).