General: California Croton (Croton californicus) is a perennial forb or subshrub of wind-blown sandy areas. Stems with silvery stellate hairs. Leaves narrowly oblong, margin entire; leaf hairs stellate, scale-like.

Plants are dioecious (female or male). There are no petals, In females, the ovary is 3-chambered with 3 styles, each of which is 2-lobed and the lobes are 2-forked. Male flowers have 10-15 stamens

California Croton is an uncommon component of vegetation communities in dry, sandy areas on desert flats and sand dunes in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zones.

Around Las Vegas, look for California Croton is sandy places such as Valley of Fire State Park, Kelso Dunes in Mojave National Preserve, and along the shores of Virgin River and Lake Mead.

Family: Spurge (Euphorbiaceae)