# Croton capitatus

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Species of flowering plant

"Hogwort" redirects here; not to be confused with [Hogwarts](/source/Hogwarts) or [Hogweed](/source/Hogweed).

Hogwort Conservation status Secure (NatureServe)[1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Rosids Order: Malpighiales Family: Euphorbiaceae Genus: Croton Species: C. capitatus Binomial name Croton capitatus Michx.

***Croton capitatus***, known as the **hogwort**,[1] **woolly croton**, or **goatweed**,[2] is an [annual plant](/source/Annual_plant) with erect, branched [stems](/source/Plant_stem), 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](/source/United_States).[1] Hogwort is a host plant for the goatweed leafwing butterfly (*[Anaea andria](/source/Anaea_andria)*).[3]

## In fiction

British author [J. K. Rowling](/source/J._K._Rowling) did not deliberately name [Hogwarts](/source/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](/source/Royal_Botanic_Gardens%2C_Kew) many years beforehand, that Rowling speculated that the name had remained in her subconscious ever since.[4]

## See also

- [List of Croton species](/source/List_of_Croton_species)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-natureserve_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-natureserve_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-natureserve_1-2) [NatureServe](/source/NatureServe). ["*Croton capitatus*"](https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.137620/). *NatureServe Explorer*. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 21 March 2026.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-MO_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-MO_2-1) ["Hogwort (Woolly Croton)"](https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/hogwort-woolly-croton). *Missouri Department of Conservation*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin"](https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=crca6). *www.wildflower.org*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-hplexicon_4-0)** ["Visitor's Guide to Hogwarts"](https://www.hp-lexicon.org/hogwarts/w_pl_hogwarts.html). [The Harry Potter Lexicon](/source/The_Harry_Potter_Lexicon). Retrieved 20 October 2007

## External links

- [Noble Foundation Hogwort page](https://web.archive.org/web/20060103050550/http://www.noble.org/Ag/Wildlife/DeerFoods/PlantPhotos/C-029.html)

- [Uvalde Research and Extension Center page on the Hogwort](https://web.archive.org/web/20060828100720/http://uvalde.tamu.edu/herbarium/crca.htm)

Taxon identifiers Croton capitatus Wikidata: Q3004087 Wikispecies: Croton capitatus AoFP: 2733 APA: 1812 APNI: 116979 CoL: ZPQY EoL: 1147394 EPPO: CVNCP FNA: 242416379 FoAO2: Croton capitatus GBIF: 3058740 GRIN: 104857 iNaturalist: 57038 IPNI: 342226-1 IRMNG: 10944136 ITIS: 28266 NatureServe: 2.137620 NCBI: 323035 NSWFlora: Croton~capitatus Open Tree of Life: 426165 Plant List: kew-49532 PLANTS: CRCA6 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:342226-1 Tropicos: 12802018 VASCAN: 5600 WFO: wfo-0000927567

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Croton capitatus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croton_capitatus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croton_capitatus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.