Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Shrubs, Spurge
Vegetable
Origin
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa
Central America, Mexico
Types
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Number of Varieties
1703
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions
Floodplains, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99997-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-1
Sunset Zone
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
200.00 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
400.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
Yellow, Gold
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmately Lobed
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
All year
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Dry, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Slightly Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
All year
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Transplanting
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs less watering, Water occasionally
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Less Watering
Moderate
In Winter
Less Watering
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed
Compost, organic fertlizers
Pests and Diseases
Anthracnose, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Rust
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Drought and Salt, Heat Tolerance
Cold climate
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
-
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flying insects, Hoverflies
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
allergic conjunctivitis, Eye irritation
Throat itching, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin and hair, Removes pimples, Skin inflammation, Skin irritation
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Insect Repellent, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Suppresses or replaces native plants, Versatility
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem
Fruits, Seeds
Other Uses
Oil is used as fuel, Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Used in biomass
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
JATROPHA
MELOTHRIA scabra
Common Name
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
In Hindi
रतनजोत
Mousemelon
In German
Purgiernuß
Maus Melone
In French
purghère
Mousemelon
In Spanish
frailejón
Mousemelon
In Greek
jatropha
πεπόνι ποντίκι
In Portuguese
galamaluco
melão rato
In Polish
jatrofa
mysz melona
In Latin
Jatropha
mouse melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Euphorbiales
Cucurbitales
Family
Euphorbiaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Jatropha
Cucumis
Clade
Dicotyledonous
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Jatropheae
Melothrieae
Subfamily
Crotonoideae
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
17050
1
27800
👆🏻