FNA: Jatropha canescens vs. Jatropha curcas

	Jatropha canescens	Jatropha curcas
	Arizona nettlespurge, sangre de drago	Barbados nut, physic nut, piñón, purging nut
Habit	Shrubs, to 1.2–2.5 m, dioecious.	Trees, to 10[–15] m, monoecious.
Stems	erect, grayish white, branched from base, woody-succulent, canescent; short shoots common; latex watery, cloudy-whitish.	erect, gray-green, much-branched, woody-succulent, glabrous; short shoots absent; latex watery, colorless in younger branches, cloudy-whitish in older shoots.
Leaves	deciduous, mostly ± evenly distributed on long shoots, few on short shoots; stipules absent; petiole 1.3–3 cm, not stipitate-glandular; blade cordate to broadly ovate, 2.2–3.5 × 1.6–3 cm, unlobed or shallowly 3-lobed, base truncate-cordate, margins entire, apex rounded, ± coriaceous, abaxial surface canescent, adaxial surface sparingly hairy; venation pinnate (palmate if lobed).	persistent, ± evenly distributed on long shoots; stipules caducous, narrowly lanceolate, 5 mm, undivided; petiole 9–19 cm, not stipitate-glandular; blade round in outline, 9–15 × 9–15 cm, usually shallowly 3–5-lobed, rarely unlobed, base cordate, margins entire or glandular (young leaves), apex acuminate, membranous, surfaces glabrous; venation palmate.
Inflorescences	terminal on branches or on short shoots, staminate cymes, pistillate fascicles, or flowers solitary; peduncle 1–2.6 cm; bracts 1–2.5 mm, margins entire, sparsely hairy.	bisexual, terminal and subterminal, cymes; peduncle 5–10 cm; bracts 3–10 mm, margins entire, glabrous.
Pedicels	2–3 mm.	1–3 mm.
Staminate flowers	sepals connate to 1/4 length, lanceolate, 2–2.5 × 0.5–0.8 mm, margins entire, apex acute, canescent abaxially, glabrous or sparingly hairy adaxially; corolla grayish white, sometimes pinkish abaxially, subglobose-urceolate, petals connate 3/4–4/5 length, 5–8 × 1–2 mm, surfaces sparingly hairy; stamens 10 in 2 whorls (5 + 5); filaments of outer whorl connate 1/2 length, of inner whorl connate 1/4 length, outer whorl 2–3 mm, whorl series 4–5 mm.	sepals distinct, ovate-elliptic, 4–6 × 2–3 mm, margins entire, apex acute, surfaces glabrous; corolla greenish yellow, campanulate, petals distinct or connate 1/4 length, 6–8 × 2–3.5 mm, glabrous abaxially, tomentose adaxially; stamens 10, ± in 2 whorls (5 + 5); filaments of both whorl connate to top or nearly so, outer whorl 3–4.5 mm, inner whorl 3–5 mm.
Pistillate flowers	resembling staminate, but sepals connate only at base, 3–3.5 × 1.5–2 mm; petals connate 1/2–3/4 length, 8–11 × 3–5 mm; carpels 2[–3]; styles connate 3/4 their lengths, 2–5 mm.	resembling staminate, but sepals connate to 1/2 length, 5–7.5 × 2–5 mm; petals 4–5 × 2–2.5(–3) mm; staminodes infrequent; carpels 3; styles connate most of length, 0.5–1.5 mm.
Capsules	compressed ellipsoidal, 1.2–1.5 × 2–2.5 cm, 2-lobed [ellipsoidal, 3-lobed], tardily dehiscent.	ellipsoidal, 2.6–3 × 2.2–2.8 cm, drupaceous.
Seeds	solid brown, subspheric, 9–12 mm; caruncle absent.	black or black mottled with white spots, ellipsoidal, 18–20 × 11–13 mm; caruncle rudimentary.
2n	= 22 (Mexico).	= 22 (Puerto Rico).

	Jatropha canescens	Jatropha curcas
Phenology	Flowering and fruiting late spring(–summer).	Flowering and fruiting spring (late summer–early fall).
Habitat	Sandy washes, sand dunes.	Disturbed sites.
Elevation	0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.)	0–50 m. (0–200 ft.)
Distribution	AZ; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora)	FL; Mexico; Central America [Introduced in North America; introduced also in West Indies, South America, Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands, Australia] [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	In Arizona, Jatropha canescens is found only in Pima County, primarily in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Jatropha canescens is part of a hybrid complex that includes the Mexican species J. cinerea (Ortega) Müller Arg. and, probably, J. giffordiana Dehgan & G. L. Webster. These can be difficult to distinguish. R. McVaugh (1945) suggested considering J. canescens as a synonym of J. cinerea, and F. Shreve and I. L. Wiggins (1964), as well as others, have done so. Jatropha canescens may be distinguished from J. cinerea and J. giffordiana most reliably by its crowded inflorescences of staminate flowers with smaller subglobose (as opposed to urceolate) whitish gray corollas (sometimes with some red or pink on the adaxial surface) as opposed to larger darker red corollas of J. cinerea and J. giffordiana. In addition, J. canescens generally has more numerous, longer and darker colored short shoots, and smaller and less often shallowly 3-lobed leaves. Although J. cinerea (in the strict sense) does not occur in northern Sonora, it is one of the more common plants in Baja California, Baja California Sur, and western mainland Mexico. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	Jatropha curcas now has a circumtropical distribution but probably originated in Central America; it is naturalized in southern Florida. The latex of J. curcas is used for soap making and for medicinal purposes; the seeds are used for biofuel production. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 12, p. 202.	FNA vol. 12, p. 202.
Parent taxa	Euphorbiaceae > Jatropha	Euphorbiaceae > Jatropha
Sibling taxa	J. cardiophylla, J. cathartica, J. cuneata, J. curcas, J. dioica, J. gossypiifolia, J. integerrima, J. macrorhiza, J. multifida	J. canescens, J. cardiophylla, J. cathartica, J. cuneata, J. dioica, J. gossypiifolia, J. integerrima, J. macrorhiza, J. multifida
Synonyms	Mozinna canescens
Name authority	(Bentham) Müller Arg.: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 1079. (1866)	Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1006. (1753)
Web links	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Jatropha curcas

Arizona nettlespurge, sangre de drago

Barbados nut, physic nut, piñón, purging nut

Habit

Shrubs, to 1.2–2.5 m, dioecious.

Trees, to 10[–15] m, monoecious.

Stems

erect, grayish white, branched from base, woody-succulent, canescent; short shoots common;

latex watery, cloudy-whitish.

erect, gray-green, much-branched, woody-succulent, glabrous; short shoots absent;

latex watery, colorless in younger branches, cloudy-whitish in older shoots.

Leaves

deciduous, mostly ± evenly distributed on long shoots, few on short shoots;

stipules absent;

petiole 1.3–3 cm, not stipitate-glandular;

blade cordate to broadly ovate, 2.2–3.5 × 1.6–3 cm, unlobed or shallowly 3-lobed, base truncate-cordate, margins entire, apex rounded, ± coriaceous, abaxial surface canescent, adaxial surface sparingly hairy;

venation pinnate (palmate if lobed).

persistent, ± evenly distributed on long shoots;

stipules caducous, narrowly lanceolate, 5 mm, undivided;

petiole 9–19 cm, not stipitate-glandular;

blade round in outline, 9–15 × 9–15 cm, usually shallowly 3–5-lobed, rarely unlobed, base cordate, margins entire or glandular (young leaves), apex acuminate, membranous, surfaces glabrous;

venation palmate.

Inflorescences

terminal on branches or on short shoots, staminate cymes, pistillate fascicles, or flowers solitary;

peduncle 1–2.6 cm;

bracts 1–2.5 mm, margins entire, sparsely hairy.

bisexual, terminal and subterminal, cymes;

peduncle 5–10 cm;

bracts 3–10 mm, margins entire, glabrous.

Pedicels

2–3 mm.

1–3 mm.

Staminate flowers

sepals connate to 1/4 length, lanceolate, 2–2.5 × 0.5–0.8 mm, margins entire, apex acute, canescent abaxially, glabrous or sparingly hairy adaxially;

corolla grayish white, sometimes pinkish abaxially, subglobose-urceolate, petals connate 3/4–4/5 length, 5–8 × 1–2 mm, surfaces sparingly hairy;

stamens 10 in 2 whorls (5 + 5);

filaments of outer whorl connate 1/2 length, of inner whorl connate 1/4 length, outer whorl 2–3 mm, whorl series 4–5 mm.

sepals distinct, ovate-elliptic, 4–6 × 2–3 mm, margins entire, apex acute, surfaces glabrous;

corolla greenish yellow, campanulate, petals distinct or connate 1/4 length, 6–8 × 2–3.5 mm, glabrous abaxially, tomentose adaxially;

stamens 10, ± in 2 whorls (5 + 5);

filaments of both whorl connate to top or nearly so, outer whorl 3–4.5 mm, inner whorl 3–5 mm.

Pistillate flowers

resembling staminate, but sepals connate only at base, 3–3.5 × 1.5–2 mm;

petals connate 1/2–3/4 length, 8–11 × 3–5 mm;

carpels 2[–3];

styles connate 3/4 their lengths, 2–5 mm.

resembling staminate, but sepals connate to 1/2 length, 5–7.5 × 2–5 mm;

petals 4–5 × 2–2.5(–3) mm;

staminodes infrequent;

carpels 3;

styles connate most of length, 0.5–1.5 mm.

Capsules

compressed ellipsoidal, 1.2–1.5 × 2–2.5 cm, 2-lobed [ellipsoidal, 3-lobed], tardily dehiscent.

ellipsoidal, 2.6–3 × 2.2–2.8 cm, drupaceous.

Seeds

solid brown, subspheric, 9–12 mm;

caruncle absent.

black or black mottled with white spots, ellipsoidal, 18–20 × 11–13 mm;

caruncle rudimentary.

= 22 (Mexico).

= 22 (Puerto Rico).

Jatropha canescens

Jatropha curcas

Phenology

Flowering and fruiting late spring(–summer).

Flowering and fruiting spring (late summer–early fall).

Habitat

Sandy washes, sand dunes.

Disturbed sites.

Elevation

0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.)

0–50 m. (0–200 ft.)

Distribution

AZ; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora)

FL; Mexico; Central America [Introduced in North America; introduced also in West Indies, South America, Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands, Australia]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

In Arizona, Jatropha canescens is found only in Pima County, primarily in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

Jatropha canescens is part of a hybrid complex that includes the Mexican species J. cinerea (Ortega) Müller Arg. and, probably, J. giffordiana Dehgan & G. L. Webster. These can be difficult to distinguish. R. McVaugh (1945) suggested considering J. canescens as a synonym of J. cinerea, and F. Shreve and I. L. Wiggins (1964), as well as others, have done so. Jatropha canescens may be distinguished from J. cinerea and J. giffordiana most reliably by its crowded inflorescences of staminate flowers with smaller subglobose (as opposed to urceolate) whitish gray corollas (sometimes with some red or pink on the adaxial surface) as opposed to larger darker red corollas of J. cinerea and J. giffordiana. In addition, J. canescens generally has more numerous, longer and darker colored short shoots, and smaller and less often shallowly 3-lobed leaves. Although J. cinerea (in the strict sense) does not occur in northern Sonora, it is one of the more common plants in Baja California, Baja California Sur, and western mainland Mexico.

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

Jatropha curcas now has a circumtropical distribution but probably originated in Central America; it is naturalized in southern Florida. The latex of J. curcas is used for soap making and for medicinal purposes; the seeds are used for biofuel production.

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

Source

FNA vol. 12, p. 202.

Parent taxa

Euphorbiaceae > Jatropha

Sibling taxa

J. cardiophylla, J. cathartica, J. cuneata, J. curcas, J. dioica, J. gossypiifolia, J. integerrima, J. macrorhiza, J. multifida

J. canescens, J. cardiophylla, J. cathartica, J. cuneata, J. dioica, J. gossypiifolia, J. integerrima, J. macrorhiza, J. multifida

Synonyms

Mozinna canescens

Name authority

(Bentham) Müller Arg.: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 1079. (1866)

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).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

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Jatropha canescens

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Jatropha canescens

Jatropha curcas