Use App
Home City Plants Application
English
English
繁體中文
日本語
Español
Français
Deutsch
Pусский
Português
Italiano
한국어
Nederlands
العربية
Svenska
Polskie
ภาษาไทย
Bahasa Melayu
Bahasa Indonesia
This page looks better in the app

Physic nuts

Botanical name: Jatropha

Physic nuts
Botanical name: Jatropha
Physic nuts (Jatropha)

Description

Physic nuts are a very diverse group of flowering succulents, shrubs, and trees. One commonality among physic nuts is their toxicity - almost all species have highly toxic seeds, and many also have a sap that irritates the skin of humans and animals alike. However, some species of physic nuts are used to make dye, baskets, and for tanning.

Species of Physic nuts

Coral plant

Coral plant

Coral plant (*Jatropha multifida*) is a tough plant that you will encounter in many gardens. It is grown for its attractive sprays of red-pink flowers, which rise above the leaves on long stems. This plant has an added garden bonus, since it is a great attractor of butterflies. Care should be taken with coral plant, since it is slightly toxic, and should never be eaten.
Leatherstem

Leatherstem

Leatherstem (Jatropha dioica) is indigenous to western North America. The plant contains a latex that changes from a translucent yellow color to deep crimson if you expose it to air. This accounts for the Spanish name for this species—“sangre de drago,” which means “dragon’s blood.”
Peregrina

Peregrina

Peregrina is a popular border and decorative plant because of its gorgeous red or pink flowers that bloom all year. This shrub, native to Cuba and widely propagated worldwide, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. However, extreme caution is suggested because all parts of this plant are toxic when consumed.
Bellyache bush

Bellyache bush

Jatropha gossypiifolia, commonly known as bellyache bush, black physicnut or cotton-leaf physicnut, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The species is native to Mexico, South America, Gujarat State (India) and the Caribbean islands. It is a declared noxious weed in Puerto Rico and is naturalised in northern Australia, including Queensland where it is listed as a Class 2 declared pest plant. It grows to 2.5 to 4 m high. The three lobed leaves are purple and sticky when young and become bright green with age. The small red flowers with yellow centres appear in clusters. These are followed by cherry-sized seed pods that are poisonous. Powdery mildew fungal disease was reported. There are many common names for Jatropha gossypiifolia including: bellyache-bush, black physicnut, and cotton-leaf physicnut in English; pinon negro, pinon colorado, and tua-tua in Spanish; medicinier noir and medicinier rouge in French; mamoninha and peao-roxo in Brazil; jarak merah and sibidigua in India.
Jicamilla

Jicamilla

Jicamilla (Jatropha cathartica) is a perennial flowering spurge also known as Berlandier's nettlespurge. The jicamilla is tolerant of drought but cannot survive an overabundance of moisture, as it will experience root rot. This species grows naturally in its native Texas and Mexico, but is also cultivated in containers. It can survive for months without rain in the wild.
Barbados nut

Barbados nut

The barbados nut (Jatropha curcas) plant is cultivated throughout the world for ornamental uses because of its rapid growth. Since cattle will not consume the leaves, it works very well as a living fence around grazing areas. Oil is extracted from the nuts and used as a torch fuel and burns so well that the fires are not affected by strong winds!
Buddha belly plant

Buddha belly plant

Buddha belly plant (Jatropha podagrica) is a succulent perennial herb native to tropical North and South America. Buddha belly plant is cultivated around the world as an ornamental species due to its unique appearance. This species produces a sticky sap which can be a skin irritant and the plant is toxic if ingested. It is, however, used to make dye, soap, biofuel, and fertilizer.
Arizona nettlespurge

Arizona nettlespurge

Arizona nettlespurge are a very diverse group of flowering succulents, shrubs, and trees. One commonality among arizona nettlespurge is their toxicity - almost all species have highly toxic seeds, and many also have a sap that irritates the skin of humans and animals alike. However, some species of arizona nettlespurge are used to make dye, baskets, and for tanning.
Physic nuts (Jatropha) Physic nuts (Jatropha)
PictureThis
Botanist in your pocket
Scan QR code to download
Cookie Management Tool
In addition to managing cookies through your browser or device, you can change your cookie settings below.
Necessary Cookies
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
Analytical Cookies
Analytical cookies help us to improve our application/website by collecting and reporting information on its usage.
Cookie Name Source Purpose Lifespan
_ga Google Analytics These cookies are set because of our use of Google Analytics. They are used to collect information about your use of our application/website. The cookies collect specific information, such as your IP address, data related to your device and other information about your use of the application/website. Please note that the data processing is essentially carried out by Google LLC and Google may use your data collected by the cookies for own purposes, e.g. profiling and will combine it with other data such as your Google Account. For more information about how Google processes your data and Google’s approach to privacy as well as implemented safeguards for your data, please see here. 1 Year
_pta PictureThis Analytics We use these cookies to collect information about how you use our site, monitor site performance, and improve our site performance, our services, and your experience. 1 Year
Cookie Name
_ga
Source
Google Analytics
Purpose
These cookies are set because of our use of Google Analytics. They are used to collect information about your use of our application/website. The cookies collect specific information, such as your IP address, data related to your device and other information about your use of the application/website. Please note that the data processing is essentially carried out by Google LLC and Google may use your data collected by the cookies for own purposes, e.g. profiling and will combine it with other data such as your Google Account. For more information about how Google processes your data and Google’s approach to privacy as well as implemented safeguards for your data, please see here.
Lifespan
1 Year

Cookie Name
_pta
Source
PictureThis Analytics
Purpose
We use these cookies to collect information about how you use our site, monitor site performance, and improve our site performance, our services, and your experience.
Lifespan
1 Year
Marketing Cookies
Marketing cookies are used by advertising companies to serve ads that are relevant to your interests.
Cookie Name Source Purpose Lifespan
_fbp Facebook Pixel A conversion pixel tracking that we use for retargeting campaigns. Learn more here. 1 Year
_adj Adjust This cookie provides mobile analytics and attribution services that enable us to measure and analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, certain events and actions within the Application. Learn more here. 1 Year
Cookie Name
_fbp
Source
Facebook Pixel
Purpose
A conversion pixel tracking that we use for retargeting campaigns. Learn more here.
Lifespan
1 Year

Cookie Name
_adj
Source
Adjust
Purpose
This cookie provides mobile analytics and attribution services that enable us to measure and analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, certain events and actions within the Application. Learn more here.
Lifespan
1 Year
This page looks better in the app
Open