Codiaeum variegatum

Codiaeum variegatum (fire croton, garden croton, or variegated croton, or simply 'croton'; syn. Croton variegatum L.) is a species of Codiaeum, a genus of flowering plants, in the Euphorbiaceae (the spurge family). Initially described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, it is native to Australasia and Oceania, from Malaysia and Indonesia in the north through northeastern Australia, as well as many Southeast Asian and South Pacific islands, growing in open forests and scrub.

The Codiaeums' commonly used name of "croton" should not be confused with Croton, a separate genus—also within the Euphorbiaceae—which contains more than 700 species of cosmopolitan herbs, shrubs, and trees.