Croton chrysodaphne Baill., Adansonia 1: 147. 1861

Berry, Paul E., Kainulainen, Kent & Ee, Benjamin W. van, 2017, A Nomenclator of Croton (Euphorbiaceae) in Madagascar, the Comoros Archipelago, and the Mascarene Islands, PhytoKeys 90, pp. 1-87 : 26-27

39. Croton chrysodaphne Baill., Adansonia 1: 147. 1861

Oxydectes chrysodaphne (Baill.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 611. 1891. Type. Based on Croton chrysodaphne Baill.

Croton lepidotus Aug.DC., Bull. Herb. Boissier, sér. 2, 1: 565. 1901. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Toamasina: Maroantsetra, forêts à l’intérieur de la baie d’Antongil, 1897, A. Mocquerys 274 (holotype: G-DC [G00018155]!; isotypes: Z [Z-000015984], Z [Z-000015985]).

Croton meeusei Leandri, Notul. Syst. (Paris) 13: 184. 1948, syn. nov. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Toamasina: Soanierana-Antasibe, 350 m, 13 Oct 1938, H.J. Lam & B. Meeuse 5957 (holotype: P [P00312381]!; isotypes: L [L0234889]!, WAG!).

Croton submetallicoides Radcl.-Sm., Gen. Croton Madag. Comoro 58. 2016, syn. nov. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Toamasina: Betampona Réserve Naturelle Intégrale, 40 km NW of Toamasina, 275-650 m, 17°31'S, 49°07'E, 28 Sep 1993, B. Lewis & S. Razafimandimbison 656 (holotype: K!; isotypes: MO!, P [P00433129]!).

Type.

Madagascar. Prov. Toamasina: Foulpointe or near Tamatave , 21 Jul 1794 [date on attached letter], L.A. Chapelier s.n. (lectotype, designated by Leandri 1972b: P [P00389522]!; isolectotype: P [P00133024]!) . Madagascar. sin. loc., s.d., L.M.A. Dupetit - Thouars s.n. (syntype: P [P00133022]! = C. cupreolepis ) . Madagascar. Prov. Mahajanga: in montosis in Mazangay , s.d., W. Bojer s.n. (syntype: P [P00133021]! = C. argyrodaphne ) ; Madagascar. Prov. Toamasina: Analalava Forest Reserve , 7 km W of Foulpointe, 17°42.586'S, 49°27.175'E, 22 m, 2 Mar 2009, B. van Ee, P.E. Berry & H. Razanatsoa 998 (epitype, designated by Berry et al. 2011, pg. 113: MICH [MICH1514785]!; additional duplicates: G!, MO!, P!, TAN) .

Habit and distribution.

Large shrubs or trees; eastern lowland Madagascar (Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, eastern Toliara).

Notes.

Baillon (1861) included material of Croton argyrodaphne (Bojer s.n.) and C. cupreolepis (Dupetit-Thouars s.n.), among the syntypes of C. chrysodaphne , which was lectotypified on a Chapelier specimen by Leandri (1972b). See Berry et al. (2011) and Berry et al. (2016b) for further discussions.

Both Croton meeusei and C. submetallicoides fit well within the variation of leaf size and shape of C. chrysodaphne , but they are reported to have the normal five petals in staminate flowers, whereas specimens from the Foulpointe area (the presumed lectotype locality as well as the epitype locality) have the unusual number of ten petals. We judge this to be somewhat of an anomaly and not a feature that has been fixed in the species overall. The type of C. meeusei lacks pistillate flowers altogether, whereas the type of C. submetallicoides has the short, curved inflorescence and pistillate flowers that are typical of C. chrysodaphne .