Croton dichogamus Pax

A monoecious pyramidal or sometimes straggling shrub or small tree up to 7.5 m. tall, but more usually 2–5 m. tall, with symmetrical, frequent branching.. Young twigs densely silvery or brown lepidote, later becoming greyish.. Peltate scales dissected or fimbriate.. Petioles 0.5–2(–3) cm. long, silvery or brownish lepidote; leaf-blade ovate-lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, more rarely ± ovate, 2–12(–16) cm. long, 1–5(–7.5) cm. wide, usually acuminate, often acutely so, less often obtuse, rounded at the base, or sometimes subcuneate or truncate-subcordate, with basal glands subsessile or shortly stipitate, fairly prominent, entire, firmly membranous, lateral nerves 9–15 pairs, slightly prominent beneath, midrib impressed above, prominent beneath, glabrous and dark green above except for a strip of sparse, adpressed scurfy stellate hairs toward the margin when young, shiny silvery lepidote and sometimes brown flecked beneath.. Stipules triangular-lanceolate, 1 mm. long, somewhat obscured by the scales, caducous.. Axillary buds not perulate.. Racemes terminal, up to 6 cm. long, but more often 2–4 cm. long, ♀ in the lower third, ♂ in the upper two thirds, sometimes all ♂, occasionally mostly ♀, axis brown lepidote; bracts triangular-lanceolate, 1.5 mm. long, lepidote with fimbriate scales, ciliate.. Male flowers: pedicels 3–5 mm. long, slender, yellow-brown lepidote, sometimes bibracteolate; sepals 5 or 6, broadly ovate, 2 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, obtuse, yellow-brown lepidote without, glabrous within, margin finely ciliate, pale yellow-green; petals 4 or 5, oblanceolate-oblong, 2 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, margin finely ciliate, otherwise glabrous; disc pentagonal; stamens (13–)15(–20), pale orange, filaments 2.5 mm. long, glabrous above, pubescent below, anthers 0.5 mm. long; receptacle pilose.. Female flowers: pedi- cels 2–4 mm. long, stouter than in the ♂, yellow-brown lepidote; sepals as in the ♂; petals 0 or, if present (5 or fewer), then linear, not more than 0.5 mm. long, ciliate and readily caducous; disc annular; ovary 3(–4)-lobed, 2 mm. diameter, densely brown lepidote; styles 3, spreading, 2 mm. long, glabrous, deeply bipartite.. Fruit 3(–4)-lobed, often somewhat parallel-sided, 6–7 mm. long, 6–7 mm. diameter, septicidal, evenly brown lepidote.. Seeds oblong-ovoid, 5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, brown, with a convex caruncle 1.5 mm. wide.. Fig. 25.

Dry forest, bushland and thicket, on rocky ground, lava, limestone and porous soils; open Acacia woodland; sometimes forming dense stands; at elevations from 550-1,800 metres, occasionally to 2,250 metres.

The bark is used as a flavouring in soup.

Can be grown by seedlings.