Croton lucidus

Croton lucidus L.

Common Names: Fire bush

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Habit: Croton lucidus grows as a small to medium shrub up to 2 m in height. The leaves are arranged alternately, ovate to oblong, with an entire margin and acute leaf apex.  The surface has pellucid punctate glands and occasional pubescence. The leaves can have a reddish coloration.

Croton lucidus is dioecious. The incomplete, imperfect, actinomorphic, flowers are arranged in axillary or terminal racemes. Staminate flowers have 5 unfused, green, ciliate, sepals in the calyx.  The corolla has 5 unfused, white petals.  There are 12 stamens and no carpel.  The carpellate flowers have 5 unfused sepals in the calyx. The corolla has 5 unfused white petals. There are no stamens. The superior ovary has 3 locules. The fruit is a 3-parted capsule.

Habitat: Croton lucidus grows on a limestone substrate in Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Formations – Shrublands (scrubland coppice).

Distribution: Croton lucidus occurs throughout all island groupings in the Lucayan Archipelago, south Florida and the entire Caribbean region.

Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Croton lucidus is not known to be used medicinally in the Lucayan Archipelago.