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Physic Nuts
Jatropha
Jatropha is a genus of flowering plants in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words ἰατρός (iatros), meaning "physician", and τροφή (trophe), meaning "nutrition", hence the common name physic nut. Another common name is nettlespurge. It contains approximately 180 species of succulent plants, shrubs and trees (some are deciduous, like Jatropha curcas). Most of these are native to the Americas, with 66 species found in the Old World. Plants produce separate male and female flowers. As with many members of the family Euphorbiaceae, Jatropha contains compounds that are highly toxic. Jatropha species have traditionally been used in basketmaking, tanning and dye production. In the 2000s, one species, Jatropha curcas, generated interest as an oil crop for biodiesel production and also medicinal importance when used as lamp oil; native Mexicans in the Veracruz area developed by selective breeding a Jatropha curcas variant lacking the toxic compounds, yielding a better income when used as source for biodiesel, because of its edible byproduct. Toxicity may return if edible Jatropha is pollinated by toxic types.
60 branches of this genus, most-observed first
Peregrina
speciesJatropha integerrima
Bellyache Bush
speciesJatropha gossypiifolia
Leatherstem
speciesJatropha dioica
Gout Stalk
speciesJatropha podagrica
Ashy Jatropha
speciesJatropha cinerea
Barbados Nut
speciesJatropha curcas
Physicnut
speciesJatropha cuneata
Coralbush
speciesJatropha multifida
ragged nettlespurge
speciesJatropha macrorhiza
heartleaf limberbush
speciesJatropha cardiophylla
Jatropha cordata
speciesJatropha cordata
Jatropha mollissima
speciesJatropha mollissima
Jatropha sympetala
speciesJatropha sympetala
Jatropha vernicosa
speciesJatropha vernicosa
Jicamilla
speciesJatropha cathartica
Moran’s Lomboy
speciesJatropha moranii
Jatropha excisa
speciesJatropha excisa
Jatropha capensis
speciesJatropha capensis
Jatropha nudicaulis
speciesJatropha nudicaulis
Jatropha malacophylla
speciesJatropha malacophylla
Jatropha peltata
speciesJatropha peltata
Jatropha zeyheri
speciesJatropha zeyheri
Jatropha gaumeri
speciesJatropha gaumeri
Jatropha macrantha
speciesJatropha macrantha
Jatropha mutabilis
speciesJatropha mutabilis
Jatropha neopauciflora
speciesJatropha neopauciflora
Sibru
speciesJatropha unicostata
Jatropha mahafalensis
speciesJatropha mahafalensis
Jatropha macrocarpa
speciesJatropha macrocarpa
Jatropha canescens
speciesJatropha canescens
Jatropha ribifolia
speciesJatropha ribifolia
Jatropha erythropoda
speciesJatropha erythropoda
wild oilnut
speciesJatropha hernandiifolia
Jatropha grossidentata
speciesJatropha grossidentata
Jatropha dhofarica
speciesJatropha dhofarica
Jatropha schlechteri
speciesJatropha schlechteri
Jatropha nana
speciesJatropha nana
Jatropha hirsuta
speciesJatropha hirsuta
Jatropha hieronymi
speciesJatropha hieronymi
Jatropha variifolia
speciesJatropha variifolia
Jatropha spicata
speciesJatropha spicata
Jatropha humboldtiana
speciesJatropha humboldtiana
Jatropha latifolia
speciesJatropha latifolia
Jatropha standleyi
speciesJatropha standleyi
Jatropha rzedowskii
speciesJatropha rzedowskii
Jatropha heynei
speciesJatropha heynei
Jatropha isabellei
speciesJatropha isabellei
Jatropha peiranoi
speciesJatropha peiranoi
Jatropha chamelensis
speciesJatropha chamelensis
Jatropha marquezii
speciesJatropha marquezii
Jatropha lagarinthoides
speciesJatropha lagarinthoides
Jatropha pelargoniifolia
speciesJatropha pelargoniifolia
Jatropha atacorensis
speciesJatropha atacorensis
Jatropha elliptica
speciesJatropha elliptica
Jatropha websteri
speciesJatropha websteri
Jatropha chevalieri
speciesJatropha chevalieri
Jatropha woodii
speciesJatropha woodii
Jatropha divaricata
speciesJatropha divaricata
Jatropha andrieuxii
speciesJatropha andrieuxii
Jatropha oaxacana
speciesJatropha oaxacana
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Jatropha in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 119100.