Flora of North America species comparison

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Jatropha

Jatropha multifida

nettlespurge

coral plant, coralbush, French physic or physic nut, yucca
Habit Herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, or trees, perennial, monoecious or dioecious [gynodioecious]; hairs unbranched, sometimes glandular, or absent; latex colorless, cloudy-whitish, yellow, or red. Shrubs or trees, to 7 m, monoecious.
Stems

erect, yellow-brown, sparsely branched, woody-succulent, glabrous; short shoots absent;

latex viscous, cloudy-whitish.
Leaves

deciduous or persistent, alternate but sometimes appearing fascicled, simple;

stipules absent or present, persistent or deciduous;

petiole absent or present, glands absent at apex, sometimes stipitate-glandular along length;

blade unlobed or palmately lobed, margins entire, serrate, or dentate, laminar glands absent;

venation pinnate or palmate.

persistent or drought-deciduous, mostly borne on or near branch tips;

stipules persistent, (3–)6–15(–25) mm, filiform-divided;

petiole 11–29 cm, not stipitate-glandular;

blade ovate-cordate in outline, 16–30 × 10–22 cm, deeply 9–11-lobed nearly to base, base rounded, margins incised, apex acuminate, membranous, surfaces glabrous;

venation palmate.
Inflorescences

unisexual or bisexual (pistillate flowers central, staminate lateral), axillary or terminal, cymes or fascicles, or flowers solitary;

glands subtending each bract 0.

bisexual, terminal and subterminal, cymes;

peduncle 12–30 cm;

bracts 2–4.5 mm, margins entire, glabrous.
Pedicels

present.

3.5–6 mm.
Staminate flowers

sepals 5, imbricate, distinct or connate to 1/2 length;

petals 5, distinct or connate basally to most of length, white, greenish yellow, pink, red, or purple [yellow, yellow-brown, orange, or 2-colored];

nectary extrastaminal, annular and 5-lobed or of 5 glands;

stamens [6–]8 or 10 in 1–2 whorls, distinct or connate basally to most of length;

pistillode absent.

sepals connate to 1/2 length, ovate, 1.5–3 × 1–1.2 mm, margins entire, apex round, surfaces glabrous;

corolla orange-red, campanulate, petals distinct, 5–7 × 2.5–3 mm, surfaces glabrous;

stamens 8 in 1 whorl;

filaments distinct, 2.2–2.5 mm.
Pistillate flowers

sepals 5, imbricate, distinct or connate to 1/2 length;

petals 5, distinct or connate basally to most of length, white, greenish yellow, pink, red, or purple [yellow, yellow-brown, orange, or 2-colored];

nectary annular and 5-lobed or 5 glands;

staminodes sometimes present;

pistil 1–3-carpellate;

styles (1–)3, distinct or connate basally to most of length [absent], 2-fid.

resembling staminate, but sepals 2–3.5 × 1.1–1.3 mm;

petals 6–8.2 × 2–3.2 mm;

carpels (1–)3;

styles distinct, 1–1.2 mm.
Fruits

capsules, ± fleshy, sometimes tardily dehiscent.

Capsules

ellipsoidal, winged, 3–3.4 × 2.7–2.9 cm, tardily dehiscent.
Seeds

ellipsoid to globose;

caruncle present (sometimes rudimentary) or absent.

yellow to light brown, mottled with dark brown spots or stripes, spheric, 14–18 mm;

caruncle rudimentary.
x

= 11.

2n

= 22 (Puerto Rico).

Jatropha

Jatropha multifida
Phenology Flowering and fruiting year-round.
Habitat Disturbed sites.
Elevation 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
Mexico; Central America; South America; s United States; West Indies; s Asia (India); Africa; tropical and subtropical regions [Introduced elsewhere in Asia, Pacific Islands, Australia]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; West Indies [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, Central America, South America, Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands, Australia]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species ca. 190 (10 in the flora).

Some species of Jatropha are cultivated as ornamentals throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, notably J. integerrima, J. multifida, and J. podagrica Hooker. These and J. curcas Linnaeus and J. gossypiifolia Linnaeus have escaped from cultivation in subtropical regions. Jatropha curcas (physic nut), which probably originated in Central America, is now pantropical and is extensively cultivated for production of biodiesel from its seeds, which are also eaten as roasted nuts and used as a purgative and for other medicinal purposes. More than 50 New World species are known from cultivation in the United States, either as ornamentals or for medicinal purposes, many of which are being studied. Some African species are in cultivation, primarily by collectors of succulent plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

The geographical origin of Jatropha multifida cannot be determined with certainty; it is probably native to the West Indies. The species is widely cultivated throughout the tropics as an ornamental and has escaped and naturalized in many areas, including central and southern Florida.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Perennial herbs or rhizomatous subshrubs to 1 m; stems herbaceous or rubbery-succulent.
→ 2
2. Perennial herbs with subterranean caudices, to 0.5 m; stems green; plants monoecious; carpels 3.
→ 3
3. Caudices woody, stem scars crescent-shaped; leaf blades lobed nearly to base; corollas deep red; stamens distinct at maturity; Texas.
J. cathartica
3. Caudices ± fleshy, stem scars round; leaf blades lobed to middle; corollas light pink; stamens: outer 5 distinct, inner 3 connate to 1/2 length; Arizona, New Mexico, Texas.
J. macrorhiza
2. Rhizomatous subshrubs 0.5–1 m; stems reddish brown; plants dioecious; carpel 1.
→ 4
4. Petioles 1–2.5 cm; leaf blades widely ovate-deltate, 1.5–2.6 cm wide, unlobed, margins sinuate to weakly serrate-crenate; Arizona.
J. cardiophylla
4. Petioles 0–0.2 cm; leaf blades linear-spatulate to narrowly obovate, 0.2–0.7 cm wide, sometimes 3-lobed, margins entire; Texas.
J. dioica
1. Shrubs or trees, 1–10 m; stems woody or woody-succulent.
→ 5
5. Short shoots present; plants dioecious; corollas usually white, sometimes pinkish, petals connate 1/2+ length; Arizona.
→ 6
6. Latex cloudy-whitish; leaves mostly ± evenly distributed on long shoots, few on short shoots, petioles 1.3–3 cm, blades cordate to broadly ovate, 2.2–3.5 × 1.6–3 cm, canescent abaxially, sparingly hairy adaxially; corollas subglobose-urceolate; carpels 2.
J. canescens
6. Latex yellow in young shoots, red in older shoots; leaves usually fascicled on short shoots, petioles 0(–0.2) cm, blades obovate-spatulate, 0.7–1.9 × 0.3–0.9 cm, glabrous; corollas tubular-urceolate; carpel 1.
J. cuneata
5. Short shoots absent; plants monoecious; corollas greenish yellow, pink, red, orange, or purple, petals distinct or connate to 1/2 length; Florida.
→ 7
7. Stipules persistent, filiform-divided; stamens 8; styles distinct or connate to 1/4 length.
→ 8
8. Stipules, petioles, and/or leaf margins glandular; leaf blade 3–5-lobed; petals connate 1/4–1/2 length.
J. gossypiifolia
8. Stipules, petioles, and leaf margins not glandular; leaf blade 9–11-lobed; petals distinct.
J. multifida
7. Stipules caducous (narrowly lanceolate) or absent; stamens 10; styles connate 1/2+ length.
→ 9
9. Shrubs 2.5–5 m; corollas rotate, bright red to scarlet or pink; capsules explosively dehiscent.
J. integerrima
9. Trees to 10 m; corollas campanulate, greenish yellow; capsules drupaceous.
J. curcas
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 198. Author: Bijan Dehgan. FNA vol. 12, p. 201.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae > Jatropha
Sibling taxa
J. canescens, J. cardiophylla, J. cathartica, J. cuneata, J. curcas, J. dioica, J. gossypiifolia, J. integerrima, J. macrorhiza
Subordinate taxa
J. canescens, J. cardiophylla, J. cathartica, J. cuneata, J. curcas, J. dioica, J. gossypiifolia, J. integerrima, J. macrorhiza, J. multifida
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1006. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 437. (1754) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1006. (1753)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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