Hogwort

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

iHogwort
Hogwort
Hogwort
Conservation status
Secure
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Subfamily: Crotonoideae
Tribe: Crotoneae
Genus: Croton
Species: C. capitatus
Binomial name
Croton capitatus

The hogwort (Croton capitatus), also known as the woolly croton is an annual plant with erect, branched stems, densely covered with light brown, wooly hairs that give it a whitish appearance. It grows in dry, open areas, especially sandy and rocky soils. It is distributed across the Southern U.S.A., and elsewhere.

Hogwort contains croton oil, a powerful laxative.

[edit] Trivia

British author J. K. Rowling named Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from her Harry Potter series of books after the hogwort, upon seeing the plant in Kew Gardens.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links