Silver Croton

Member of Spurge Family

Blooms: early fall until frost

I have seen this plant for as long as I can remember, which isn't very long sometimes!! My Mother and Grandmother always called it Goatweed, don't know where that name came from, but then all wildflowers and plants have many common names.

This one is an annual herb that is a fall plant. It can be found covering entire fields and openings in woodlands. It is very drought tolerant and grows in sandy, rocky soils and can be found almost any place where there is lots of sunlight.

Another common name is Healing Croton in that it has antiseptic properties. Native Americans used it for rubbing onto scratches and cuts to stop infection and for its healing.

It is not grazed by livestock or wildlife very much, but in late fall its seeds are a favorite of the Turtle Dove.

"The flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the Turtle Dove is heard in our land."

Song of Solomon 2:2