Search / Plant Profile / Croton alabamensis var. texensis

Plant Profile

Texabama Croton (Croton alabamensis var. texensis)

croton staminate flowers Photo Credit: Texas State University-San Marcos

Global Rank: T2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Euphorbiaceae
State: TX
Nature Serve ID: 140716
Lifeform: Shrub, Subshrub
Date Inducted in National Collection: 06/25/2002

Description:

A surprisingly conspicuous semi-evergreen shrub, Texabama croton escaped detection until 1989, when it was almost simultaneously discovered at Fort Hood and on the Balcones Canyonlands NWR. Readily recognized by foliage alone throughout the growing season, particularly in autumn when that foliage turns a bright orange color, the foliage of this large shrub is shiny silvery- to coppery-scaly on the lower surface and is strikingly different from any other plant species of the Edwards Plateau. Var. texensis is quite similar to var. alabamensis, which occurs in a very few locations in central Alabama and south-central Tennessee. According to Ginzbarg (1992), the two varieties differ mostly in the pigmentation of the scales. Texabama croton flowers in late February-March. (TPWD, 2003).

Where is Texabama Croton (Croton alabamensis var. texensis) located in the wild?

Habitat:

At Balcones Canyonlands NWR (Travis County), Texabama croton occurs mostly in duff-covered loamy clay soils on rocky slopes in forested mesic limestone canyons, in the shade of Quercus buckleyi, Fraxinus texensis, Juglans major, Prunus serotina subsp. eximia and other deciduous trees. The habitat is similar at Fort Hood Military Installation (Bell and Coryell counties), where additional tree associates include Acer grandidentatum and Quercus muhlenbergii. At both sites, Texabama croton is locally abundant on deeper soils on small terraces in canyon bottoms, often forming large colonies and dominating the shrub layer; scattered individuals are occasionally found on sunny margins of such forests. The habitat at Pace Bend Park (Travis County) is much different. Here the shrubs occur on deep friable soils of a limestone upland, mostly in the shade of evergreen woodland mottes dominated by Quercus fusiformis (TPWD, 2003).

Distribution:

Endemic to the eastern Balcones Escarpment of central Texas.

States & Provinces:

Texabama Croton can be found in Texas

Which CPC Partners conserve Texabama Croton (Croton alabamensis var. texensis)?

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Tina Stanley

04/22/2024

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (LBJWC) has ~2,900 seeds collected from the wild between 2001 and 2003 held in orthodox seed banking and has experience propagating this species for horticulture or restoration.

LBJWC participated in a preliminary study of pollination biology with researchers at Southwest Texas State University. Pistillate flowers generally opened earlier and had larger nectar glands than staminate flowers. Plants are potentially pollinated by Diptera and Lepidoptera but not by wind. Seed viability in two populations was 52% and 82%.

01/01/2010

Fire may be a threat.

01/01/2010

Ft Hood, Bell & Coryell Co.: 20,000 plants (Aplet et. al., 1991). A recent fire affected the largest on-post population (CEMML, 1997) Gainer Ranch, Travis Co.: 500-1,000 plants (Ginzbarg, 1992) Penn Ranch, Travis Co.: several thousand individuals (Ginzbarg, 1992) Pace Bend Park, Travis Co.: 615 plants (Travis County, 2002) Texabama croton populations located on Fort Hood Military Installation, tracts of the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, and Pace Bend County Park receive varying levels of protection.

01/01/2010

Re-introduction of seedlings to both burned over location and unpopulated area on Ft. Hood. (CEMML, 1997) Investigation into the effectiveness of accelerated aging techniques as a means of overcoming seed dormancy and stimulating germination (CEMML, 1997).

01/01/2010

Research needed on recruitment, survival and growth Monitor populations

01/01/2010

Seed banking Seed germination studies Genetics Propagation Reproductive ecology studies