Jatropha multifida
Jatropha canescens
coral plant, coralbush, French physic or physic nut, yucca
Arizona nettlespurge, sangre de drago
erect, yellow-brown, sparsely branched, woody-succulent, glabrous; short shoots absent;
latex viscous, cloudy-whitish.
erect, grayish white, branched from base, woody-succulent, canescent; short shoots common;
latex watery, cloudy-whitish.
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.
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).
bisexual, terminal and subterminal, cymes;
peduncle 12–30 cm;
bracts 2–4.5 mm, margins entire, glabrous.
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.
3.5–6 mm.
2–3 mm.
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.
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.
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.
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.
ellipsoidal, winged, 3–3.4 × 2.7–2.9 cm, tardily dehiscent.
compressed ellipsoidal, 1.2–1.5 × 2–2.5 cm, 2-lobed [ellipsoidal, 3-lobed], tardily dehiscent.
yellow to light brown, mottled with dark brown spots or stripes, spheric, 14–18 mm;
caruncle rudimentary.
solid brown, subspheric, 9–12 mm;
caruncle absent.
= 22 (Puerto Rico).
= 22 (Mexico).
Jatropha multifida
Jatropha canescens
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.)
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.)
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