Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrubs, Spurge
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa
Number of Varieties
5170
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*7
-
Sunset Zone
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
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm200.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
24.00 cm400.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Palmately Lobed
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
All year
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Dry, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Slightly Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
All year
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Needs less watering, Water occasionally
In Summer
Average Water
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Less Watering
In Winter
Average Water
Less Watering
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
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
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
Air purification, Insect Repellent, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Suppresses or replaces native plants, Versatility
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Used As Food
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, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
JATROPHA
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL
In Hindi
पोई
रतनजोत
In German
Malabarspinat
Purgiernuß
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
purghère
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
frailejón
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
jatropha
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
galamaluco
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
jatrofa
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
Jatropha
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Euphorbiales
Family
Basellaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Genus
Basella
Jatropha
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Dicotyledonous
Tribe
-
Jatropheae
Subfamily
-
Crotonoideae
Number of Species
60170
1
27800
👆🏻