States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaArkansasFloridaLouisianaMississippiVirginiaWest Virginia
Menu

Woolly Croton

Croton capitatus

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in glades, prairies, woodlands, fields, disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

74
Strong

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
2–3 feet
Spread
3–6 inches
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
July to October

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 57 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 76 animals.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

11CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Croton

  • Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
  • Anaea andriaGoatweed Leafwing , Goatweed Leaf Wing
  • Anaea troglodytaFlorida Leafwing, Florida Leaf Wing
  • Calycopis cecropsRed-Banded Hairstreak, Cecrops Hairstreak
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Oxydia vesuliaSpurge Spanworm Moth
  • Seirarctia echoEcho Moth
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
Show all 11
  • Xylophanes tersaTersa Sphinx
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
13BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Croton

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Croton

  • Perdita crotonis
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
20BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Croton

  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
  • Anthus spragueiiSprague's Pipit
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Cardinalis sinuatusPyrrhuloxia
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
  • Francolinus francolinusBlack Francolin
  • Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
  • Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush
Show all 20
  • Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
  • Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
  • Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
  • Spinus psaltriaLesser Goldfinch
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
  • Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
  • Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
  • Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Euphorbiaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–7b
Flower color
Inconspicuous or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Hogwort

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources