Licensed representative photographPlant Guide
Croton
Codiaeum variegatum
Other known names: Garden Croton
A colorful tropical shrub whose leaf color and compact growth depend on strong light and stable warmth.
Published source-backed guide. This guide meets Lorekeeper's published source, care-completeness, safety, and identity checks. It is source-backed, not an expert-review claim.
Toxic. Milky sap is irritating and ingestion is unsafe.
Care
- Light
- Very bright indirect light with acclimated sun.
- Water
- Water after the upper mix begins to dry; avoid severe repeated wilt.
- Growing medium
- A rich well-drained tropical mix.
- Feeding
- Feed lightly during active growth.
- Temperature
- 65-85 F.
- Humidity
- Average to high humidity with airflow.
- When to consider watering
- Use observed moisture, pot weight, light, and season instead of a fixed weekday.
- Watering method
- Water after the upper mix begins to dry; avoid severe repeated wilt. Wet the root ball evenly and never leave drainage trapped in a cachepot.
- Repotting
- Repot only when roots, drainage, stability, or broken-down medium justify it; increase the pot size modestly.
- Pruning
- Remove damaged growth with clean tools and avoid unnecessary pruning during stress.
- Beginner note
- Treat reminders as prompts to observe. Record what you found, then complete, snooze, pause, or adjust the care item.
Observe the plant and growing medium before acting. A reminder is a prompt to check, not an automatic instruction to water.
Characteristics
A colorful tropical shrub whose leaf color and compact growth depend on strong light and stable warmth.
Names & botanical identity
- Accepted name
- Codiaeum variegatum
- Plant family
- Euphorbiaceae
- Plant group
- Colorful Foliage
- Other known names
- Garden Croton
- Safety
- Toxic
Milky sap is irritating and ingestion is unsafe.
Growth
- Growth habit
- Woody evergreen shrub.
- Mature size
- Up to 3 ft tall indoors in a container
- Native range
- Malesia and western Pacific islands.
- Temperature
- 65-85 F.
- Humidity
- Average to high humidity with airflow.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Propagation
Root stem cuttings in warm humid conditions.
When you add a propagation to Lorekeeper, connect it to the mother plant so its history and lineage remain intact.
Problems to recognize
These links describe possible or look-alike relationships, not a diagnosis. Start with visible evidence and rule out alternatives.
- Spider mites: Warm indoor foliage should be checked often for stippling and mites.
- Excess light / sunburn: Unacclimated colorful leaves can scorch in intense direct sun.
- Mealybugs: Stem and leaf joints can conceal mealybugs.
History & lineage
Codiaeum variegatum has been selected into many colorful cultivars, so leaf shape and color can vary widely within the species.
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Keep the useful part
Save Croton to your garden.
Carry this guide into a private plant record, then add your own photographs, care, journal entries, and lineage over time.
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