| Hogwort | |
|---|---|
| Hogwort | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Crotonoideae |
| Tribe: | Crotoneae |
| Genus: | Croton |
| Species: | C. capitatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Croton capitatus |
|
Croton capitatus, known as the hogwort or 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 United States, and elsewhere.
Hogwort contains croton oil, a powerful laxative.
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In Jim Henson's Labyrinth (1986), the character Hoggle was mistakenly called, "Hogwort" by Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly). The character corrected her angrily.
British author J. K. Rowling did not deliberately name the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from her Harry Potter series of books after the hogwort. It was only after the books were published that a friend reminded her of seeing the plant in the Kew Gardens many years beforehand. Rowling speculated that the name had remained in her subconscious ever since.[1]