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Prairie-tea Croton

Croton monanthogynus

Found in limestone outcrops, blackland prairies, disturbed dry soil. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not scored

Native status: sources disagree, under review. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
Up to about 2 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
June to October

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

County records are not available.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone

Open, thin-soil openings and rock on limestone, dolomite or other lime-rich rock, including cedar glades.

Prairies and grasslands

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

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 12 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (14)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
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
8BirdsRecorded eating Croton in West Virginia

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes West Virginia, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

1AntsRecorded seed interactions
  • Pogonomyrmex barbatus

Pogonomyrmex barbatus: Seed predation.

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

Birds that eat Croton 8

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Euphorbiaceae
Flower color
White

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

One Seeded Croton; Prairie Tea; Prairie tea Croton

Conservation status

West Virginia rankSNA
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources