Croton (English spelling) Codiaeum variegatum; croton

Japanese: クロトン（英語表記）Codiaeum variegatum; croton

It is an evergreen shrub of the Euphorbiaceae family, 1-2m tall. Native to Java, Malaysia, Australia, etc. It is widely cultivated as a hedge in tropical regions, but in Japan it is usually grown in a pot in a greenhouse and used as a summer interior decoration. The leaves are alternate, glossy, thick and leathery, and come in various shapes from ovate to linear. There are also twisted ones and ones with only incised veins almost to the midvein and leaflets at the end. Depending on the cultivar, the leaves can have beautiful colors such as white, yellow, brown, and red, and many have spots and stripes, which is why it is also known as Henyouboku (weird-leaf tree).

Croton
Crotona

An ancient Greek colony (apoikia) in Lacinia, southern Italy. It was founded by the Achaeans around 710 BCE and prospered as a port city. It produced athletes such as Milon, and around 530 BCE Pythagoras arrived and his school became influential. It reached its peak in 510 BCE, but soon began to decline and was destroyed during the Punic Wars.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

トウダイグサ科の常緑低木で，高さ1～2m。ジャワ，マレーシア，オーストラリアなどの原産。熱帯地方では生垣などに広く栽培されているが，日本では普通鉢植にして温室で栽培し，夏の室内装飾などに使われる。葉は互生しつやがあり厚い革質，卵形から線形までいろいろの形がある。またねじれたものや，ほとんど中央脈まで切れ込み筋だけになり，その先に小葉片をつけた飛び葉形のものなどもある。品種により葉面に白，黄，褐，赤などの美しい色が現れたり，斑点や縞のあるものも多く，そのためにヘンヨウボク (変葉木) の別名もある。