Thanks to Eric in SF@Flickr for today’s photograph (original), taken in San Francisco’s Conservatory of Flowers (adding yet another place for me to visit when I next travel to San Francisco!).
Spicy jatropha or peregrina is native to Cuba. Introduction into south Florida for its ornamental value has resulted in the plant becoming naturalized in some areas.
Although its a member of the Euphorbiaceae or spurge family, it does not have the highly specialized cyathium inflorescence found in the genus Euphorbia. Instead, it has “typical”, albeit unisexual, flowers (the flowers in Eric’s photograph are male flowers; an image of both female and male flowers can be seen on Dr. Gerry Carr’s page about the Euphorbiaceae).
The Plants of Hawaii web site shares a few photographs of the plant in cultivation. If you live in a tropical or subtropical area, you might also like to read this fact sheet about Jatropha integerrima (PDF).
My Jatropha trees are being attacked by some kind of insect that is eating the material just under the bark resulting in ugly leisions and tunnels in the wood resulting in leggy branches with discolored leaves. There are little black ant colonies that have made nesteds in the chewed up wood pulp and holes.
Recommendations would very much be appreciated. I’m afraid I may lose some trees.
Hi Alan,
That’s a better question for the UBC Botanical Garden Forums.
Hi i am Mukesh patel working on Jatroph breeding work since 2006. i have one little confusion about Jatropha integerrima and Jatropha pendaurifolia. is there any difference between them or they are same. kindly give some suggestion beceause in internet the photograph are looking same.
mukesh