Croton flavens is a species of flowering plant in the genus Croton and the family Euphorbiaceae, native to southern Mexico, the Caribbean, and Venezuela. The plant is commonly found in dry locations. It has white flowers, golden sap, and is highly aromatic. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1759 in Systema Naturae.Linnaeus, C. (1759). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Vol. 2. Edition 10. Stockholm.Laurentii Salvii. Its common names include yellow balsam, copaiba, maran, rock sage, ti baume, and welensali.
Uses Croton flavens has many reported uses. Its aromatic sap has been distilled for scented toiletries, and its leaves used for scrubbing dishes to remove odors or crushed to use as an insect repellent.
As traditional medicine, Croton flavens has been used to treat sore throat, earaches, leg aches, menstrual cramps, postpartum pain, pneumonia, and cholera. It has also been used to relieve pain and prevent swelling from wasp and bee stings, and to treat infected cuts and sores. Additionally, Croton flavens has been used as an herbal abortifacient.
In Montserrat, locals have crushed and smoked Croton flavens to relieve congestion or like a tobacco product. In Curaçao, locals have crushed and chewed it like a tobacco product or used it to make tea. A research study in 1983 suggested that the chewing or drinking of the Croton flavens may be linked to increased rates of esophageal cancer in Curaçao.
Local insects utilize Croton flavens as well. The plant provides pollen and nectar to bees and butterflies such as the tropical leafwing.
Common names The common names for Croton flavens vary by region. These names include, but are not limited to, the following:
Variants of "balsam"
balsam (Lesser Antilles) rock balsam (Bahamas, Barbados) yellow balsam (Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Dutch Caribbean)
Variants of "sage"
sage (Lesser Antilles) rock sage (Lesser Antilles) seaside sage (Barbados)
Variants of "maran"
maran, maran bush (U.S. Virgin Islands, Saba)Johnson, T. R. (2016). A Lee Chip: A Dictionary and Study of Saban English. Raleigh: Language and Life Project, North Carolina State University. yellow maran (British Virgin Islands).
Varients of "ti baume"
ti baume (Guadeloupe, Martinique) ti bombe (Martinique) ti bonm (Haiti)
Other names
bitter shrub (Dominica) bois l'huile (St. Barthelemy) copaiba (Lesser Antilles) copahu (French Antilles) copaie (Dominica) cough bush (Bahamas) palo blanco (Dominican Republic) palo bellaco (Dominican Republic) welensali (Curaçao)
See also List of Croton species
Notes
References