Common names: woolly croton, hogwort, doveweed, goatweed*

Scientific names: Croton capitatus

Seasons of significant use: summer (for Croton spp. complex)

Characteristics: Native, annual, warm season forb to 5.0 feet. Plant monecious; leaves alternate, simple, stellate-tomentose woolly; male and female flowers in dense, terminal, spikelike racemes; female flowers have 6-9 sepals; fruit is a subglobose capsule, usually 3-seeded. Flowers July-October.

Plant community type: Open uplands and bottomlands. Does best in sandy soils, but does grow in tighter soils. Responds favorably to soil disturbance in sandy soils. Often appears in recently plowed fields, along roadsides, and in overgrazed pastures, etc.

Comments: *This plant is inlcuded because it is a member of the Croton genus and it could not be separated from the other members of the genus microhistologically. Based on casual observations however, the authors do not feel this species made up a substantial portion of the deer's diet during this study. We feel that the bulk of the diet identified as Croton spp. was made up of C. glandulosus, C. lindheimerianus, and C. monanthogynus.

More Plant Photos and Descriptions:
Appendix C: Plants by Common Name
Appendix C: Plants by Scientific Name
Appendix C: Plants Listed by Family