Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Shrubs, Spurge
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa
Types
-
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa
Number of Varieties
40170
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-9-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
-
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm200.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm400.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Palmately Lobed
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
All year
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
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 Summer, Summer, Late Summer
All year
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry
Needs less watering, Water occasionally
In Summer
Lots of watering
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Less Watering
In Winter
Average Water
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
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Anthracnose, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Rust
Plant Tolerance
Drought
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
Medium
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
Bees, Flying insects, Hoverflies
Allergy
Asthma
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
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
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, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
JATROPHA
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
रतनजोत
In German
Kracher penstemon
Purgiernuß
In French
Firecracker penstemon
purghère
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
frailejón
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
jatropha
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
galamaluco
In Polish
petarda penstemon
jatrofa
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
Jatropha
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Euphorbiales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Jatropha
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Dicotyledonous
Tribe
-
Jatropheae
Subfamily
-
Crotonoideae
Number of Species
250170
1
27800
👆🏻