Croton capitatus
| Hogwort | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Croton |
| Species: | C. capitatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Croton capitatus | |
Croton capitatus, known as the hogwort,[1] woolly croton, or goatweed,[2] 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.[2] It is distributed across the eastern United States.[1] Hogwort is a host plant for the goatweed leafwing butterfly (Anaea andria).[3]
In fiction
British author J. K. Rowling did not deliberately name Hogwarts after the hogwort. It was only after the books were published, when a friend reminded her of seeing the plant in the Kew Gardens many years beforehand, that Rowling speculated that the name had remained in her subconscious ever since.[4]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 NatureServe. "Croton capitatus". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Hogwort (Woolly Croton)". Missouri Department of Conservation.
- ↑ "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org.
- ↑ "Visitor's Guide to Hogwarts". The Harry Potter Lexicon. Retrieved 20 October 2007