Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Cactus or Succulent
Shrubs, Spurge
Origin
Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa
Types
Not avilable
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa
Number of Varieties
10170
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Desert
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
-
Sunset Zone
7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Weeping
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm200.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
4.20 cm400.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Dark Salmon, Sandy Brown, White, Yellow
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color
-
Fruit Color
Green
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
-
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
-
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
-
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Succulent
Palmately Lobed
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
-
All year
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial shade
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Sand
Dry, Sand
The pH of Soil
Alkaline, Neutral
Slightly Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Early Summer, Late Spring, Late Winter, Mid Spring
All year
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Grafting, Seedlings
Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
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
Soil Type
-
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
-
Well drained
Sun Exposure
-
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun
Pruning
-
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
-
Anthracnose, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Rust
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Drought and Salt, Heat Tolerance
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Bold
Foliage Sheen
-
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Bees, Flying insects, Hoverflies
Allergy
Itchiness
allergic conjunctivitis, Eye irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Hanging Basket, 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
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Nut
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for Landscaping
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, Houseplant, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Tropical
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
Selenicereus pteranthus
JATROPHA
Common Name
Selenicereus, Moonlight cactus
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL
In Hindi
moonlight cactus
रतनजोत
In German
Selenicereus
Purgiernuß
In French
Selenicereus
purghère
In Spanish
Selenicereus
frailejón
In Greek
Selenicereus
jatropha
In Portuguese
Selenicereus
galamaluco
In Polish
Selenicereus
jatrofa
In Latin
moonlight cactus
Jatropha
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Euphorbiales
Family
Cactaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Genus
Selenicereus
Jatropha
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Dicotyledonous
Tribe
Hylocereeae
Jatropheae
Subfamily
Cactoideae
Crotonoideae
Number of Species
1170
1
27800
👆🏻