Looks like Eggplant.

It is Texas Croton (Croton texensis).

Unfortunately, there aren't very many decent pictures of it on the web. This is the best I've found:

http://twig.tamu.edu/Texas_cro...

It's a plant I know well, though.

It's a common pasture "weed" in the central/southern Great Plains. The seed pods are interesting, when the seeds are ripe, the pods explode and can fling the seeds several feet. Collect several handfuls of pods, put them in a bucket, and when they dry out it will sound like you have a popcorn popper going (sort of).

Debra: Here's some information for Croton texensis:

http://www.wildflower.org/plan...
http://essmextension.tamu.edu/...

There is currently no information or photos in the database so I hope you will consider uploading a few of your pictures.

Okay, I will try for more clear photos in the morning and upload them. Thank you.

There appears to be both male and female flowers on that plant. This site says that Croton texensis has male and female flowers on seperate plants.

http://www.catnapin.com/WildFl...

I think that one is Croton capitatus.

I uploaded photos to the previous identification. Will get closeups of the buds tomorrow morning when the air is more still. The photo entries can be changed later if needed, can't they?

Croton texensis has narrow leaves?

http://www.catnapin.com/WildFl...

Croton capitatus?

http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio4...

I see you have already suggested that Jay!

This is fun!

Goatweed is tremendously invasive in East Texas. We have it everywhere.

Hogwort (Croton capitatus)

JRsbugs said:Croton texensis has narrow leaves?

http://www.catnapin.com/WildFl...

It has highly variable leaves, so that's meaningless, but I can't disagree with the comment about the flowers. I'll move your pictures Debra, sorry about that.

Not a problem, only disappointment is that a common name is Hogwart and since I just finished re-watching the first Harry Potter movie...

Crotton capitatus is a larval plant for the Leafwing butterfly, and we plant it in our butterfly gardens if it isn't growing nearby. Although as Dave said it is very abundant in some places, but sometimes when you want it you can't find it.

dave said:Goatweed is tremendously invasive in East Texas. We have it everywhere.

I wouldn't call this delightful native "invasive".
I found a patch of croton capitatus growing in a ditch in town... and brought it out to my garden a few years ago...
Everything that I've learned about this plant since then has only increased my appreciation...

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/crea...
The butterfly that uses croton as host plant... (Anaea andria Scudder)

51 species of croton in the United States with 25 species in Texas...
http://npsot.org/wp/boerne/pub...

And... attracts dove and quail and turkeys... hence the common name "dove weed".

Thank you for posting the link about the butterfly, I love them although they are rather elusive.

I took this photo this morning:



On our property, if you disturb the soil, within a month it looks like that.

dave said:I took this photo this morning:

• Hogwort (Croton capitatus)
• Uploaded by dave

On our property, if you disturb the soil, within a month it looks like that.

I was just about to post, that your comments were probably from a farmers perspective. I like it myself, but I can see how someone trying to raise crops and livestock would find it very irritating.

Yes, it can be very abundant in some places, funny that we would have to hunt for it if we want it.

That's my thinking, Jay. I think I was wrong to call it invasive in my earlier post here but it's so aggressive for us that I had actually always been under the impression that this was an invasive plant.

dave said:it's so aggressive for us that I had actually always been under the impression that this was an invasive plant.

I think the term that you are looking for is "weedy"...

I think you should employ the strategy that I use with ragweed... pull before it blooms...
And then be thankful that you aren't dealing with phyllanthus urinaria or Fatoua villosa... both of which sets seed almost as soon as they come up!

Annuals generally are just not that problematic...