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 (kroton), which means “tick” and refers to the shape of the seeds of certain species.

Croton megalobotrys commonly known as Fever Bark, Lowveld Croton, Fever Bark Tree or Large Fever-berry in English and Groot-koorsbessie or Koorsboom in Afrikaans is a South African indigenous species from the Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces. It has recently been shown in Kenya that Croton nuts, such as those from C. megalocarpus, are a more economical source of biofuel than Jatropha. In Kenya, Jatropha requires as much as 20,000 litres of water to make a litre of biofuel, while Croton trees grow wild and yield about .35 litres of oil per kilo of nuts. Croton trees are planted as a windbreak in Kenya and its use as a source of biofuel may benefit rural economies there. As arable land is under population pressure, people have been cutting down the windbreaks to expand farmland. This new use may save the windbreaks which should help fight desertification. It grows into a 10 meter evergreen tree with smooth grey bark and alternate silvery leaves. During spring this fast growing tree bears spikes of yellowish-green flowers.