Published in the McAllen Monitor, March 1, 2025
Story and photos by Anita Westervelt
Native crotons are airy, sedate and pastoral. Their gentle green leaves and creamy white blooms add a peaceful aura to a garden – or make for a garden that is all about crotons.
There are around 20 native croton species in Texas; 14 are found in the Rio Grande Valley. All have green leaves and white flowers. They are not the vibrantly colorful plants with thick, leathery foliage. Those are a pantropical genus, Codiaeum variegatum, native to Australasia, and Indonesia.
Native crotons are vibrant in other ways – with nectar and pollen. They attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Most are larval hosts for goatweed leafwing butterflies, a bright orange butterfly common in Texas and northern Mexico.
In addition, crotons are heavy seed producers. Many seed-eating birds eat the seeds, including doves, wild turkeys, bobwhite quail and other seed-eating birds. The plants readily reproduce.
Mature plants differ in size from shapely mounds one foot tall, to fuller shrubs reaching four feet or taller. Some species are perennials, others are annual. Experts distinguish species sometimes by leaf shape and presence or lack of leaf hairs.
Crotons grow well in partially shady areas and as understory for small trees and airy shrubs. Although they tolerate heat and drought, leaves may turn orange when a plant is stressed; the plant will revive when conditions change.
Texas Master Naturalist South Texas Border chapter members lined their pollinator garden and monarch waystation paths with two popular species: bush croton, Croton ciliatoglandulifer, and Pepperbush, Croton humilis. The garden is behind St. George Orthodox Church Hall, in Pharr, where the chapter holds their monthly meetings.
The crotons frame other important nectar plants which are identified with signage. Bush croton, also called Mexican croton, is a perennial about four feet tall. Leaves are pointed at the tip with star-shaped hairs on both sides and noticeable glands on the leaf margins. It is monoecious, male and female flower clusters are on the same plant. It blooms in all seasons.
Pepperbush, also known as low croton, is perennial, can grow to five feet tall and bloom all year. The leaves are smooth with hairy edges.
Cortes croton, Croton cortesianus, a perennial, can grow to six feet tall. It has larger leaves with hairs on the underside; the top side is darker green and shiny. It is dioecious, male and female flowers are on separate plants. It prefers shade and can bloom year-round.
Coastal dunes have their own special croton, aptly named beach croton, Croton punctatus. It is perennial, can grow to nearly two feet tall and generally is a close-to-the-ground sprawler. The shrub is more compact than rangeland crotons. The leaves are small and oval; the underside has a gray cast and brown vein.
The three most common crotons throughout Texas are annuals, each with several common names but mostly known as woolly croton, Texas croton and prairie tea. Their scientific names, respectively, are Croton capitatus var. lindheimeri; Croton texensis; and Croton monanthogynus. Collectively, they are called doveweed on the range and are especially important foods for mourning and white-wing doves.
The South Texas Border Chapter Texas Master Naturalists meet the third Monday each month at St. George Orthodox Church Hall, 704 West Sam Houston, in Pharr, at 6 p.m. for a social; presentations begin at 6:30 p.m. Meetings are free and open to the public.
The March 17 meeting presentation is about rejuvenating old soil, presented by Michael Navarro with American Forest’s Marinoff Nursery in Alamo.
Link to local native plant growers: https://www.stbctmn.org/post/valley-native-plant-growers-nurseries.
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Plants of Texas Rangelands, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; Native Plant Society of Texas; Landmarkwildlife.com; nativeplantproject.com; and “Plants of Deep South Texas: A Field Guide to the Woody and Flowering Species.” Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX were helpful in writing this article.
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