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Croton (present-day Crotone), in the "toe" of the Italian peninsula, was a Greek colony from c.
710 BC. It was notable for producing many generations of victors in the Olympic Games and the other Panhellenic Games. One of the most famous of these was Milo of Croton.
In botany, Croton is a plant genus in the Euphorbiaceae family. Of about 1,200
species in this genus, the best known member is Croton tiglium, known by the
common name Croton, a tree or shrub native to
Southeast Asia. Croton oil, used in herbal medicine as a violent purgative, is extracted from its seeds.
The common name Croton also refers to Codiaeum variegatum, a common houseplant with large elliptical
leaves that each range in color from green to
red and yellow.
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