Woolly Croton, Hogwort

(Croton capitatus Michx.)

Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Family)

▲ young plant

▲ young, flowering plant

▲ close-up of flowers and woolly stem

▲ ▼ mature plant and flowers

Woolly Croton:  (not in Weeds of the Great Plains, nor in Weeds of the Northeast)

·        warm-season annual plants with rounded, open-branched spreading growth habit to 1-3’ tall and wide

·        leaves are oval-elongated, 0.5-1” wide and 1-3” long, and are densely covered with many whiteish to yellowish hairs, making leaves look “woolly”

·        stems are greenish-white to tan colored, and also hairy

·        common in overgrazed pastures; can have some toxicity for livestock