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Croton monanthogynus

prairie tea

Euphorbiaceae

Central and southern United States to northern Mexico

Attracts Pollinators Deer Resistant Drought Tolerant Fragrant (light)

Native to North America

SunFull Sun

WaterVery Low · drought-tolerant

Overview

Croton monanthogynus is a much-branched annual herb in the Euphorbiaceae, forming a low, rounded, bushy plant 6-20 inches (15-50 cm) tall and about as wide in a single season. The stems and oval to oblong leaves, 0.5-1.5 inches (1.5-4 cm) long, are covered in tiny star-shaped (stellate) hairs that give the whole plant a grayish or silvery-green, slightly mealy look. Crushed foliage is aromatic. It is monoecious, carrying separate, small, petalless male and female flowers in the same clusters; the species name refers to the single-seeded fruit that usually follows each female flower, unlike the three-seeded capsules of many relatives. It is native to prairies, glades, pastures, roadsides, and other dry, open ground across the central and southern United States and into Mexico, often on limestone or disturbed soils. It germinates in late spring, grows through summer, and sets seed before dying with frost. Tolerant of heat, drought, and poor soil, it can spread on overgrazed and disturbed land where other plants are sparse. Like other members of its family, the sap may irritate skin in sensitive people.

Native Range

Native to the central and southern United States, from Illinois and Nebraska south to Texas, and into northern Mexico. It grows on prairies, rocky glades, pastures, and disturbed open ground, often over limestone.

Suggested Uses

Croton monanthogynus has little ornamental use and is most often encountered as a wild plant of prairies and dry rangeland. Its seeds are eaten by quail, doves, and other birds, and the dried foliage was once steeped as a tea substitute, the source of the name prairie tea. It can be part of native grassland and restoration plantings on dry, poor soils.

How to Identify

Look for a low, much-branched annual with a grayish-green, mealy surface from dense star-shaped hairs, and aromatic crushed foliage. The small flowers lack petals, and the fruit is usually a single seed rather than the three-seeded capsule of related crotons. It grows in dry, open, often rocky ground.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height6" - 1'8"

Width/Spread6" - 1'6"

Colors

Flower Colors

green

Foliage Colors

green

silver

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~18 weeks

Summer Fall

Small, petalless greenish flowers appear through summer and into autumn, from about June to October. They are inconspicuous and clustered at the branch tips. Single-seeded fruits ripen and drop through the season.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

grayish-green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.5 - 8.0(Alkaline)

357912

Soil Types

rocky sand loam chalk

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Very Low

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Croton monanthogynus grows in full sun on dry, well-drained, often rocky or limestone soils of low fertility. As a heat- and drought-adapted annual it needs no irrigation once growing and completes its life cycle in one season. It germinates from seed in late spring, matures through summer, and dies at frost after setting seed. It is not generally cultivated and appears on its own in dry, disturbed, and grazed ground. No feeding or special care is needed where it grows. It self-sows to return the following year.