Variegated Croton is a tropical grown as a houseplant in the United States. Its thick, glossy leaves vary in shape and can mix green, yellow, orange, red, pink, and purple.
Appearance
Growth form
It is a woody evergreen shrub that may reach 8–10 ft (2.4–3 m) outdoors but often stays near 3 ft (0.9 m) as a houseplant.
Leaves
The thick, glossy leaves are alternate and extremely variable. Depending on the cultivar, they may be broad, narrow, lobed, curled, or twisted and marked with green, yellow, white, pink, orange, red, or purple.
Flowers
The small flowers grow on slender clusters and are much less noticeable than the leaves. Male and female flowers occur on separate flower clusters.
Zebra Plant has opposite dark green leaves with bold white veins and may produce an upright yellow flower spike. Variegated Croton has alternate leaves with much broader color variation and inconspicuous flowers.
Why they get mixed up · Both are tropical houseplants grown for glossy patterned foliage.
Ti Plant has long, smooth, strap-shaped leaves crowded in a spiral near the stem tips. Variegated Croton usually has shorter, leathery leaves with far more varied shapes, and cut stems release irritating sap.
Why they get mixed up · Both can have red, pink, purple, and green foliage in warm-climate landscapes and indoor pots.
Where it lives
Typical habitats
houseplant containers
subtropical gardens
greenhouses
Range
It is native from Malesia to the southwestern Pacific. In the United States it is commonly grown indoors and outdoors in warm parts of central and southern Florida.
Preferred conditions
It needs bright light for strong leaf color, warm humid air, and a well-drained potting mix. Outdoors it survives winter mainly in the warmest U.S. planting zones (11–12) and is damaged by frost.
Growing it
Care
Water when the upper potting mix begins to dry, but do not leave the roots waterlogged. Leaf color fades in dim light, and sudden cold can cause leaf drop.
Propagation
A 3–4 in (8–10 cm) with three to five leaves can root in moist potting mix at 70–80°F (21–27°C).
Toxicity
Sap from cut leaves or stems can irritate skin. Eating a large amount may cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Name and classification
About the name
The common name Croton is widely used for this plant, but the botanical genus Croton is a different genus in the same family.
Varieties and forms
Hundreds of garden are grown for leaf variation. ‘Petra’ has bright veins and margins, ‘Gold Dust’ has yellow-spotted green leaves, and ‘Spirale’ has twisted red-and-green leaves. Most crotons sold in the United States are ornamental cultivars rather than wild forms.