Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrubs, Spurge
Vegetable
Origin
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Number of Varieties
1705
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12*7
Sunset Zone
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 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 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
400.00 cm24.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
Red, Green, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory
White, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
Purple, Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmately Lobed
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
All year
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Dry, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Slightly Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
All year
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Transplanting
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs less watering, Water occasionally
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
In Summer
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
Average Water
In Spring
Less Watering
Moderate
In Winter
Less Watering
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Anthracnose, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Rust
Aphids
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Drought and Salt, Heat Tolerance
Drought
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
-
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flying insects, Hoverflies
-
Allergy
allergic conjunctivitis, Eye irritation
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
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
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem
Leaves
Other Uses
Oil is used as fuel, Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Used in biomass
Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
JATROPHA
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
रतनजोत
पोई
In German
Purgiernuß
Malabarspinat
In French
purghère
L’épinard de Malabar
In Spanish
frailejón
espinaca de Malabar
In Greek
jatropha
Malabar Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
galamaluco
Malabar espinafre
In Polish
jatrofa
Szpinak Malabar
In Latin
Jatropha
Spinach Malabar
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Eudicotyledones
Order
Euphorbiales
Caryophyllales
Family
Euphorbiaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Jatropha
Basella
Clade
Dicotyledonous
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
Jatropheae
-
Subfamily
Crotonoideae
-
Number of Species
17060
1
27800
👆🏻