Croton

Croton may refer to:

Biology

Places

In Italy

In the United States

In New York

Croton (plant)

Croton is an extensive flowering plant genus in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The plants of this genus were described and introduced to Europeans by Georg Eberhard Rumphius. The common names for this genus are rushfoil and croton, but the latter also refers to Codiaeum variegatum. The generic name comes from the Greek κροτον (kroton), which means "tick" and refers to the shape of the seeds of certain species.

Description

Croton is a diverse and complex taxonomic group of plants ranging from herbs and shrubs to trees. A well-known member of this genus is Croton tiglium, a shrub native to Southeast Asia. It was first mentioned in European literature by Cristóbal Acosta in 1578 as lignum pavanae. The oil, used in herbal medicine as a violent purgative, is extracted from its seeds. Nowadays, it is considered unsafe and it is no longer listed in the pharmacopeias of many countries.

Taxonomy

Uses

Traditional uses

Croton tiglium oil has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat severe constipation, heal lesions, and is used as a purgative. It is a source of the organic compound phorbol and its tumor-promoting esters such as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. In the Amazon the red latex from the species Croton lechleri, known as Sangre de Drago (Dragon's blood), is used as a "liquid bandage", as well as for other medicinal purposes, by native peoples.

Croton–Harmon (Metro-North station)

The Croton–Harmon (/kroʊtɪnhɑːrmɪn/) Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of Croton-on-Hudson, New York via the Hudson Line. It is the main transfer point between the Hudson Line's local and express service, and it is also served by almost all Amtrak trains on the line. Metro-North trains leave for New York City about every 30 minutes. It is 32.5 miles (52.3 km) from Grand Central Terminal. Travel times to Grand Central range from 42 minutes (super-express runs) to 71 minutes (trains making all local stops).

The Metro-North shops, formerly those of the New York Central Railroad, are located at Croton–Harmon. It is also the northern limit of electrification. Metro-North traditionally hosts an open house of the maintenance facilities every October, though a hiatus of future events may take place due to renovations of the Harmon shops.

During the days of the New York Central Railroad, the station and shops were known as Harmon. Trains continuing north of Harmon, including the flagship 20th Century Limited would exchange their electric locomotive for a steam or diesel locomotive to continue the journey to points north and west.