Flora of North America species comparison

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Jatropha curcas

Jatropha cardiophylla

Barbados nut, physic nut, piñón, purging nut

heartleaf dragon's blood or limberbush, sangre de cristo
Habit Trees, to 10[–15] m, monoecious. Subshrubs, to 0.5–1 m, dioecious, rhizomatous, often forming large clumps.
Stems

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

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

erect or ascending, reddish brown, much-branched, rubbery-succulent, glabrous; short shoots common;

latex watery, colorless to cloudy-whitish in young shoots, blood red in basal portions of older shoots and rhizomes.
Leaves

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.

deciduous, born profusely on long and short shoots in rainy season;

stipules absent;

petiole 1–2.5 cm, not stipitate-glandular;

blade widely ovate-deltate, 1.8–4.6 × 1.5–2.6 cm, unlobed, base truncate, margins sinuate to weakly serrate-crenate with glands on apices of crenations in younger leaves, apex acuminate, membranous, surfaces glabrous;

venation palmate.
Inflorescences

bisexual, terminal and subterminal, cymes;

peduncle 5–10 cm;

bracts 3–10 mm, margins entire, glabrous.

axillary, cymes; staminate with peduncle 0.8–3 cm, pistillate with peduncle absent;

bracts 1–1.5 mm, margins entire, or sometimes with glands, glabrous.
Pedicels

1–3 mm.

2–3 mm.
Staminate flowers

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.

sepals distinct, ovate to obovate, 2–2.5 × 0.8–1 mm, margins entire, apex acute, surfaces glabrous;

corolla light pink to white, tubular, petals connate to 3/4 length, 5–7.5 × 1.8–2.2 mm, surfaces glabrous;

stamens 10 in 2 whorls (5 + 5);

filaments of both whorls distinct, outer whorl 1 mm, inner whorl 2 mm.
Pistillate flowers

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.

resembling staminate, but sepals obovate, 1–2.5 × 0.8–2 mm, apex rounded;

petals connate to 1/2 length, 6.5–9 × 1.8–2.7 mm;

carpel 1;

style 1 mm.
Capsules

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

spheric, apiculate, 1.1–1.8 × 1.1–1.8 cm, tardily dehiscent.
Seeds

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

caruncle rudimentary.

mottled gray-brown, spheric, 12 mm diam.;

caruncle rudimentary.
2n

= 22 (Puerto Rico).

= 22.

Jatropha curcas

Jatropha cardiophylla
Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring (late summer–early fall). Flowering and fruiting spring–summer.
Habitat Disturbed sites. Gravelly desert washes and volcanic hillsides.
Elevation 0–50 m. (0–200 ft.) 600–1500 m. (2000–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
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]
from FNA
AZ; Mexico (Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Jatropha cardiophylla and J. dioica often have been confused because of the similarity of their spreading rhizomatous habits and red rubbery branches during the dormant season. The two species are easily distinguished by their leaves. Furthermore, J. cardiophylla is restricted to the Sonoran Desert; J. dioica is found only in the Chihuahuan Desert and areas to the east.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 202. FNA vol. 12, p. 203.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Jatropha Euphorbiaceae > Jatropha
Sibling taxa
J. canescens, J. cardiophylla, J. cathartica, J. cuneata, J. dioica, J. gossypiifolia, J. integerrima, J. macrorhiza, J. multifida
J. canescens, J. cathartica, J. cuneata, J. curcas, J. dioica, J. gossypiifolia, J. integerrima, J. macrorhiza, J. multifida
Synonyms Mozinna cardiophylla
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1006. (1753) (Torrey) Müller Arg.: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 1079. (1866)
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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