Croton dissimilis Baill., Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Paris 2: 861. 1890

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 : 29

47. Croton dissimilis Baill., Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Paris 2: 861. 1890

Croton echinatus Radcl.-Sm., Gen. Croton Madag. Comoro 13. 2016, syn. nov. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Antsiranana: environs d’Antalaha, 23 Nov. 1948, H. Humbert & R. Capuron 21918 (holotype: P [P00131511]!).

Croton alaotrensis var. integrifolius Radcl.-Sm., Gen. Croton Madag. Comoro 11. 2016, syn. nov. Type. Madagascar. Prov. Toamasina: Mananara Avaratra, Antanambe, above Mahavohobe River, 16°27'S, 49°47'E, 26 Oct 1994, G. Prance & J. Andriantiana 30783 (holotype: K!).

Type.

Madagascar. Prov. Toamasina: Fito (Ambanivoules), 1833, J.P. Goudot 7 (holotype: P [P00154404]!) .

Habit and distribution.

Shrubs; eastern lowland Madagascar (Antsiranana, Toamasina).

Notes.

Leandri (1939) considered Croton dissimilis to be a synonym of C. ambanivoulensis , but C. dissimilis differs in its larger, usually crenate leaves and echinate ovary with trichomes with a long, porrect central ray. Although the type of C. echinatus has entire leaves (the type of C. dissimilis has crenate leaves), it has similar whitish bark with contrasting tufts of brown trichomes, acropetiolar glands that are cylindrical and shortly stipitate, and the ovary shares the distinctive feature of being covered by long porrect trichomes that give it the appearance of being “echinate.” Similarly, the type of C. alaotrensis var. integrifolius has entire to slightly crenate leaves, and it comes from eastern lowland Toamasina Province, near the presumed type locality of C. dissimilis .