Herbarium JCB

Jatropha curcas L.

Family : EUPHORBIACEAE
(SPURGE FAMILY)
Family (as per The Plant List) : Euphorbiaceae
Species : Jatropha curcas
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Jatropha curcas L.
Common name : Purging nut, Physic nut
Vernacular name : Safed erand, Baghrandi, Jungli erand, Pahaari erand (Hin.); Adalu haralu, Bettada haralu, Beli almuda, Chittala tali gida (Kan.); Kaattukottai (Tam.); Adavi amudam, Sima-nepalam, Nepalam (Tel.); Bamprijada, Jahajin, Dhumajara, Jode, Dumiba (Ori.); Dravanti (San.)
Key identification features : A soft-wooded shrub that occasionally grows to a tree with a short trunk and thin peeling off in greyish-papery skin and green underbark. Sap is watery. Leaves are broad, angular with 3-5 lobes ending in sharp points. Male and female flowers on the same plant, greenish-yellow, bell-shaped in small terminal clusters. Fruit is distinctly three lobed, dehiscent and dark when ripe.
Habit : Tree
Flower, Fruit : April-December; Throughout the year
Native : New World tropics
Comments : On foothills to 1400 m. Often planted by fences and railway lines. Seed oil has a good calorific value and used commercially in production of Biodiesel.
Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
World Distribution : Introduced in the Tropics of the World
Literature : H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 3 ; R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District ; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipal, Orissa; Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (2). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.
Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Jatropha curcas. Downloaded on 2 April 2025.