Common Name:

General Information

Croton gratissimus is a deciduous multi-stemmed shrub up to 3 metres tall, or a slender tree with a 'V'-shaped crown; it can grow up to 20 metres tall, but only up to 10 metres in the south of its range[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, food flavouring and source of essential oil and wood. It has a scaly bark and silvery leaves, rusty-scaly below, and has an attractive appearance. It is often planted in towns and villages[].
Croton gratissimus has a very wide distribution, large population, is not currently experiencing any major threats and no significant future threats have been identified.The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - Senegal to Sudan and Ethiopia, south to Namibia, Botswana and S. Africa.

Habitat

Fringing forest and savannah[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Most Croton species are relatively indifferent to their habitat and can grow on a wide range of soils in both disturbed and undisturbed vegetation[].

Edible Uses

The fruits, like the bark, are aromatic. They are used to spice food[].

The seeds are used to flavour tea[].

Medicinal

The bark-slash emits an aromatic smell. An infusion of the bark is used in cases of malaria[].
The charred and powdered bark is used to treat bleeding gums[].

The leaves are considered strengthening and vermifuge. A soup made of them is given to dysentery cases[]. A leaf-decoction is used as a wash, and is taken internally, for the treatment of dysentery, fever, convulsions, headache etc[].

The shoots and roots are used as a tonic, febrifuge and for the relief of menstrual pain[].

The root is used as an aperient[].

The seeds are said to have medicinal use[].

Examination of Nigerian material has shown the presence of a trace of alkaloid in the stem and leaf[].

Other Uses

The fruits, like the bark, are aromatic. They are used to prepare a sort of scent[]. The fruits are crushed and the pleasant-smelling powder used as a cosmetic[].
An extract of the seeds is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].
The young branches are pleasantly aromatic; they can be dried and then powdered them to make a perfume[].

The wood is pale yellow, fine-grained, hard and gives a good polish. The stems are used for hut-posts and beams, in default of other timbers[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed. Germination takes place within 20 - 30 days[]. When the seedlings are 5 - 6cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out when 60cm tall[].

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