Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Shrubs, Spurge
Origin
Southeastern United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa
Types
Guaiacum officinale
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa
Number of Varieties
3170
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal Regions, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Thickets, Woodlands
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-15-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
-
Sunset Zone
H1, H2
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
300.00 cm200.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
370.00 cm400.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Purple, Violet, Blue Violet
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Yellow, Red
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Olive
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Olive
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Olive
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Palmately Lobed
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
All year
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Dry, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Slightly Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter, Indeterminate
All year
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season
Needs less watering, Water occasionally
In Summer
Consistently
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
In Spring
Average Water
Less Watering
In Winter
Moderate
Less Watering
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun
Pruning
Prune to stimulate growth
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
Fertilize three times a year
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
fungus, Mealybugs, Scale, Spider mites
Anthracnose, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Rust
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Salt
Drought, Drought and Salt, Heat Tolerance
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
Fine
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies
Bees, Flying insects, Hoverflies
Allergy
Skin irritation
allergic conjunctivitis, Eye irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin and hair, Removes pimples, Skin inflammation, Skin irritation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Insect Repellent, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Suppresses or replaces native plants, Versatility
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Sap
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Oil is used as fuel, Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Used in biomass
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
GUAIACUM sanctum
JATROPHA
Common Name
Holy-wood, Lignum Vitae
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL
In Hindi
Lignum Vitae
रतनजोत
In German
Lignum Vitae
Purgiernuß
In French
Lignum Vitae
purghère
In Spanish
Palo santo
frailejón
In Greek
Lignum Vitae
jatropha
In Portuguese
pau-santo
galamaluco
In Polish
Lignum Vitae
jatrofa
In Latin
lignum Vitae
Jatropha
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Euphorbiales
Family
Zygophyllaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Genus
Guaiacum
Jatropha
Clade
-
Dicotyledonous
Tribe
-
Jatropheae
Subfamily
-
Crotonoideae
Number of Species
3170
1
27800
👆🏻