Codiaeum variegatum
Codiaeum is from the Malaysian word for the plant, codebo;
variegatus, in Latin, means ‘having different colours’. The common name,
croton, comes from a similar, but different genus of plant, and is from the
Greek word κροτων (kroton), a tick, due to the fact that the seeds of the
(true) Croton look like those creatures.
Crotons have been popular in tropical gardens for many
years. Indeed, many gardens in Townsville used to consist almost entirely of
them, grown for the exotic tropical colours of their leaves, and for the fact
that they needed virtually no looking after at all once they became
established.
Codiaeum variegatum is a native of Ambon Island in
Indonesia. The Dutch naturalist Georgius Rumphius in the 17th
century introduced the plants to western horticulture. Unlike most plants, they
are classified according to the shape of their leaves.
The groups or varieties include: broad leaf, long narrow
leaf, oak leaf, and semi-oak leaf. The ‘interrupted leaf’ variety is peculiar
in that the centre vein continues to grow beyond the leaf, and another section
of leaf forms at its end. There is also a ‘spiral leaf’ variety, that looks
rather as if it has come from science fiction. There are literally hundreds of
different crotons, and Australia has had a long love affair with them. There
are quite a few Australian-bred varieties, such as Africa, popular because of
the shape of its foliage and its varied coloration that gives it an overall
autumnal look; Togo is intensely yellow, with pink stems; Zambesi has bitter
yellow new foliage that matures into strong pink; Mammy is a pretty, dense,
bushy plant; Zanzibar has long narrow leaves, almost like hairs, usually a
fiery red colour if grown in full sun, but a softer colour if grown in the
shade.
