Croton chunianus Croizat

Shrubs ca. 2 m tall; indumentum of flattened stellate hairs; branches glabrous at maturity. Leaves clustered toward stem apex; petiole 5-10(-25) mm, with sparse stellate hairs; leaf blade elliptic-oblong to obovate-lanceolate, 8-14 × 2-4 cm, papery, glabrous except sometimes for sparsely stellate-hairy abaxial midrib when young, base attenuate to obtuse, base of midrib with sessile cupular glands, margin entire or with obscure serration, apex acuminate; venation pinnate. Inflorescence terminal, ca. 6 cm. Male flowers: sepals elliptic, 3-4 mm, stellate-hairy outside; petals obovate, ca. 3 mm, woolly; stamens ca. 14. Female flowers: sepals ovate-elliptic, ca. 3 mm, sparsely stellate-hairy or glabrescent; ovary subglobose, ca. 3 mm in diam., glabrous; styles bipartite. Capsules subglobose, ca. 8 mm in diam., glabrous. Seeds elliptic, ca. 6 mm. Fl. Jan-Jun, fr. May-Aug.

Hainan (Baoting, Ledong).

● Dense forests; 300-600 m.