Croton mauritianus Lam., Encycl. 2: 206. 1786

Berry, Paul E., Kainulainen, Kent & Ee, Benjamin W. van, 2017, A Nomenclator of Croton (Euphorbiaceae) in Madagascar, the Comoros Archipelago, and the Mascarene Islands, PhytoKeys 90, pp. 1-87 : 45-46

85. Croton mauritianus Lam., Encycl. 2: 206. 1786

Halecus mauritianus (Lam.) Raf., Sylva Tellur.: 62. 1838. Type: Based on Croton mauritianus Lam.

Klotzschiphytum mauritianum (Lam.) Baill., Étude Euphorb.: 383. 1858. Type: Based on Croton mauritianus Lam.

Oxydectes mauritiana (Lam.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 612. 1891. Type: Based on Croton mauritianus Lam.

Type.

Réunion [French Overseas Department]: Île de Bourbon, s.d., P. Commerson s.n. (holotype: P-LA [P00382069]!; isotypes: G-DC [G00311200]!, G [G00446393]!, G [G00446394]!, MPU [MPU014846]!, MPU [MPU014847]!, MPU [MPU014848]!, P [P00121732]!, P [P00404317]!, P-JU Catal. 16377!, P [P00404321]!, P [P00404316]!, P [P00404318]!; possible isotypes, K [K001040358]!, P [P00404319]!, P [P00404320]!).

Habit and distribution.

Large shrubs or small trees; restricted to the island of Réunion.

Notes.

Lamarck clearly attributed this species to the Île de Bourbon, the former name of Réunion, so it is unclear why he named it " mauritianus ." At the time of Lamarck's publication, both Réunion ( Île de Bourbon) and Mauritius ( Île de France) were occupied by the French, and Réunion was administered out of Port Louis, Mauritius. So perhaps Lamarck used the name in a general sense for the islands administered out of Mauritius.

Croton mauritianus Lam. is the type of Croton sect. Klotzschiphytum Baill. (Baillon, 1861), which is one of the few described sections of Croton with an Old World species as its type.