Euphorbiaceae

Garden croton

Codiaeum variegatum (L.) A.Juss.

Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Codiaeum

Pets and kids

CatsMildly toxic
DogsMildly toxic
KidsMildly toxic

Why

Cats: Mildly toxic

Mildly toxic to cats. Toxic principle: diterpene esters.

Signs: drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, oral irritation, skin irritation.

Croton Are Toxic To Pets | Pet Poison Helpline® Poison control
Crotons - UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions University or extension

Dogs: Mildly toxic

Mildly toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: diterpene esters.

Signs: drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, oral irritation, skin irritation.

Croton Are Toxic To Pets | Pet Poison Helpline® Poison control
Crotons - UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions University or extension

Kids: Mildly toxic

Mildly toxic to young children. Toxic principle: diterpene esters.

Signs: vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, skin irritation, rash.

Croton - Is It Poisonous or Toxic? - Kansas Poison Center Poison control
Codiaeum variegatum (Croton, Fire Croton, Garden Croton, Joseph's Coat, Variagated Croton) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension

Garden croton (Codiaeum variegatum) — FlowerPhoto: Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Is Garden croton safe for cats, dogs and kids?

Is Garden croton safe for cats?

No. Our sources call Garden croton mildly toxic to cats. Toxic principle: diterpene esters. Signs: drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, oral irritation, skin irritation.

Croton Are Toxic To Pets | Pet Poison Helpline® Poison control
Crotons - UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions University or extension

Is Garden croton safe for dogs?

No. Our sources call Garden croton mildly toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: diterpene esters. Signs: drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, oral irritation, skin irritation.

Croton Are Toxic To Pets | Pet Poison Helpline® Poison control
Crotons - UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions University or extension

Is Garden croton safe for kids?

No. Our sources call Garden croton mildly toxic to young children. Toxic principle: diterpene esters. Signs: vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, skin irritation, rash.

Croton - Is It Poisonous or Toxic? - Kansas Poison Center Poison control
Codiaeum variegatum (Croton, Fire Croton, Garden Croton, Joseph's Coat, Variagated Croton) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox University or extension

Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.

See all cat-safe plants, dog-safe plants and child-safe plants.

Common names

By language (31)

Afrikaans: Kroton
Arabic: كوديم متباين
arz: كوديم متباين
ban: Plawa
Bangla: পাতাবাহার
Bulgarian: Планински кротон, Огнен кротон
Burmese: ရွက်လှပင်
Cantonese: 變葉木
Chinese: 变叶木, 變葉木, 洒金榕, 灑金榕
Czech: Podivec pestrý
English: Garden croton, Fire croton, Variegated croton
Finnish: Ihmepensas
French: Croton
frr: Kroton, Croton, Wonerstrük
German: Kroton, Krebsblume, Wunderstrauch
Hebrew: קודן מגוון
Indonesian: Puring
Japanese: ヘンヨウボク, クロトン, クロトンノキ
Javanese: Puring
Korean: 크로톤
Malay: Pokok Puding
Malayalam: ക്രോട്ടൺ
Persian: کرچک هندی
Russian: Кодиеум пёстрый, Кодиеум пестрый
shn: တူၼ်ႈမွၵ်ႇၶမ်းၽွၵ်း, မွၵ်ႇၶမ်းၽွၵ်း
Slovak: Krotónovec strakatý
smn: Imâšmiestâ
Sundanese: Katomas
Thai: โกสน
Tongan: Kolotoni
Turkish: Kroton

Synonyms

Codiaeum angustifolium G.Nicholson
Codiaeum chrysosticton Spreng.
Codiaeum variegatum var. genuinum Müll.Arg.
Croton variegatus L.
Crozophyla variegata (L.) Raf.
Oxydectes variegata (L.) Kuntze
Phyllaurea variegata (L.) W.Wight

Flowers

In flower: March to August, October to January (from 28 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub, Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Pacific Basin: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: mfeaver, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Louise Wolff -- darina 23:22, 6 May 2005, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Lucas Christofides, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Rudolphous, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Zahra's Data, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: wlcutler, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Gérard STRUTYNSKI, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Matt B, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: wlcutler, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Codiaeum

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.