名符其實，葉形甚多變化，顏色亦有多種，變葉木的葉子顏色會產生那麼多變化的原因，主要是受到溫度的影響。變葉木雌雄異株，雌花酒瓶狀，雄花球形。有些品種綠葉上散生黃點，因而又名灑金榕。變葉木是常綠灌木。全株具乳狀液體，有毒。

Same as its Chinese name 'wood of varying leaves' suggests, this plant has leaves that vary in shape and color.  The reason for all these variation lies in temperature changes.  Garden Croton is a dioecious plant; female flowers are vase-shaped while male ones are spherical.  In some species, golden-yellow dots scatter over the green on leaves, thus also called the 'fig of raining gold' in Chinese.  This is an evergreen bush with poisonous milky sap all over the plant.