Codiaeum variegatum

garden croton

Garden crotons are some of the most bizarrely and beautifully colored and shaped plants you will ever see. Even though they can look incredibly different, they are all cultivars of a single species. The word “cultivar” is a portmanteau (combination) of “cultivated” and “variety” to mean a type of plant selected from cultivation for desirable characteristics. The showy foliage finds much use in floral arrangements and interiorscaping. Another aesthetic use of the plant, found in Bangladesh, involves using the bark to make a pink dye.

Medicinally, the Swahili of East Africa burned the plant as a general medicinal fumigant. Marma healers in Bangladesh use the plant to treat fevers, colds, and coughs. Laboratory studies have shown that the plant is effective in combating the influenza A virus. Natives of the San Blas islands near Panama used the plant to treat eye diseases and body aches. The sap is toxic in large quantities, but has been used to treat gastric ulcers in smaller quantities. Many toxic plants are also medicinal, and vice versa, so it is always risky to experiment with plants as medicine, as the particulars of use, such as dosage, are crucial to safety.

Garden crotons grow best in partial shade and rich, mesic soil.