Jatropha dioica Sessé

Leatherstem (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Malpighiales > Euphorbiaceae > Jatropha

Characteristics

Subshrubs, to 1 m, dioecious, rhizomatous, often forming colonies. Stems spreading, reddish brown (when actively growing) or red to dark red or grayish (when dormant), much-branched, rubbery-succulent, glabrous; short shoots common; latex watery, colorless to cloudy-whitish in fast growing shoots, blood red in basal portion of older shoots and rhizomes. Leaves deciduous, fascicled on short shoots; stipules deciduous, linear, 1–2 mm, undivided; petiole 0–0.2 cm, not stipitate-glandular; blade linear-spatulate to narrowly obovate, 1.5–5(–7) × 0.2–0.7 cm, usually unlobed, sometimes shallowly, rarely deeply, 3-lobed, base attenuate, margins entire, apex rounded, membranous, surfaces glabrous; venation pinnate (palmate if lobed). Inflorescences terminal or axillary, fascicles; peduncle absent; bracts absent. Pedicels 1–2.5 mm. Staminate flowers: sepals distinct or connate basally, ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, 2.5–3 × 1.2–1.4 mm, margins entire, apex acute, abaxial surface hairy, adaxial glabrous; corolla white to pinkish white, urceolate-tubular, petals connate most of length, 5–6 × 1.4–1.5 mm, abaxial surface sparsely puberulent abaxially, adaxial glabrous; stamens 10 in 2 whorls (5 + 5); filaments of both whorls connate from 1/5–3/4+ length, outer whorl 2–3 mm, inner whorl 3–5 mm. Pistillate flowers resembling staminate; carpel 1; style 2.5–3 mm. Capsules ellipsoidal, 1.2–1.4 × 1.1–1.3 cm, tardily dehiscent. Seeds solid gray-brown, spheric, 12 mm diam.; caruncle rudimentary. 2n = 44.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 1.0
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

Uses material medicinal poison
Edible -
Therapeutic use Dysentery (unspecified), Gingivitis (unspecified), Hair (unspecified), Pyorrhea (unspecified), Scurvy (unspecified), Skin (unspecified), Sty (unspecified), Alopecia (unspecified), Piles (unspecified), Teeth (unspecified), Gargle (unspecified), Gum (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) 30 - 120
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Flower

Jatropha dioica flower picture by Ajolote Morrison (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Jatropha dioica world distribution map, present in United States of America

Conservation status

Jatropha dioica threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:317899-2
WFO ID wfo-0000219593
COL ID 3QN8F
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Jatropha dioica

Lower taxons

Jatropha dioica var. graminea Jatropha dioica var. dioica