Croton persimilis
Croton persimilis
Safety & Hazards
The seed oil is very similar to that of Croton tiglium, and the seeds are likewise purgative and considered poisonous[1]. Croton oil, obtained from the seed, is heavily irritating; contact with the skin causes inflammation and oedema[2]. The toxic principles are crotonol, an extremely vesicant resin; and crotin, a delayed-action poison which causes blood-clotting. Symptoms of croton oil poisoning are firstly pain at the back of the throat, then in the anus. A dose of bismuth is an immediate antidote[3]. Several esters of the diterpene phorbol have been isolated from croton resin. These are extremely irritant and also tumour promotors. Their presence in Croton tiglium and other Croton species means their consumption is sometimes held responsible for certain forms of nasopharyngeal cancer as they are able to activate Epstein-Barr viruses[1, 2].
Cultivation Details
The plant is found in the wild on limestone, sandstone, basalt or granite soils[4]. The flowers are scented or with a foetid odour[4].
Propagation
Seed - Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Croton+persimilis>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
- [2]Vegetable Fats and Oils — Krist S. (Translated by Barbara Bauer) · Springer Nature; Switzerland · 2020 · https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30314-3 · ISBN 978-3-030-30314-3 ↩︎
- [3]The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. — Burkil. H. M. · Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. · 1985 - 2004 ↩︎Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
- [4]Flora of Thailand - Euphorbiaceae — van Welzen P.C. · http://www.nationaalherbarium.nl/thaieuph/ ↩︎An excellent site with masses of information about the species of Euphorbia found in Thailand.
- [5]A Manual of Indian Timbers. — Gamble. J. S. · Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh · 1972 · ISBN - ↩︎First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
- [6]Anti-inflammatory activity of diterpenes from Croton stellatopilosus on LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells — Premprasert C. et al · 2013 · http://10.1007/s11418-012-0668-5 · ISBN 1340-3443 ↩︎
- [7]A Field Guide to Forest Trees of Northern Thailand — Gardener S.; Sidisunthorn P.; Anusarnsunthorn V. · Kobfai Publishing Project; Bangkok. · 2000 · ISBN 974-7799-01-4 ↩︎An excellent, concise guide to 430 species, plus notes on another 450 species. Excellent photographs and a separate section on distribution and plant uses.