Jatropha podagrica

Last updated

Jatropha podagrica
BASBotanicalGarden.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Jatropha
Species:
J. podagrica
Binomial name
Jatropha podagrica

Jatropha podagrica is a succulent plant in the family Euphorbiaceae . [2] [3] It is native to the tropical Americas but is grown as an ornamental plant in many parts of the world due to its unusual appearance. Common names include Gout Plant, Gout Stalk, Guatemalan Rhubarb, Coral Plant, Buddha Belly Plant, Purging-Nut, Physic Nut, Goutystalk Nettlespurge, Australian Bottle Plant, and Tartogo. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Description

J. podagrica is a caudiciform perennial herb growing up to 1 metre (3 feet) tall. [4] [5] [6] The grey-green, knobby, swollen caudex has a bottle-like appearance, giving rise to some of the common names. Leaves are held on long fleshy yet stout petioles which emerge from the tip of the stem and radiate in all directions. Leaves are peltate and 3 or 5 lobed. Dense clusters of small, orange-red, flowers are held above the leaves on long slim peduncles. The clusters carry both male and female flowers and flowering continues for most of the year. [4] [5] [8] Fruit are green capsules at first, becoming blackish-brown at maturity, when they explode and scatter their seeds up to 4 metres (13 feet) away. [5] [6]

When cut, the plant exudes a copious sticky sap which may cause dermatitis on contact. [8]

Cultivation

The swollen caudex, showy leaves, and colourful flowers make J. podagrica an attractive ornamental, and it is grown as an indoor plant in many parts of the world.

Uses

There are many uses of J. podagrica in folk medicine, including as an analgesic, tonic, aphrodisiac, purgative, laxative, and to treat infections, intestinal worms, snakebite, gout, and more. [4] [5] [6] [9] Other uses include tanning, dye making, soap making, biofuel, fish poison, lamp lighting, and fertiliser. [4] [5] [6]

Additionally, a number of research projects have sought to identify medicinally useful compounds from J. podagrica. [10] [11] [12]

Toxicity

All parts of the plant are considered toxic, in particular the seeds. The main toxins are a purgative oil and a phytotoxin or toxalbumin (curcin) similar to ricin in Ricinis. [6] [13]

Galleries

Related Research Articles

<i>Jatropha</i> Genus of flowering plants in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

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 170 species of succulent plants, shrubs and trees. 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.

<i>Croton</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Croton is an extensive flowering plant genus in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The plants of this genus were described and introduced to Europeans by Georg Eberhard Rumphius. The common names for this genus are rushfoil and croton, but the latter also refers to Codiaeum variegatum. The generic name comes from the Greek κρότος, which means "tick" and refers to the shape of the seeds of certain species.

Pandanaceae Family of flowering plants native to the tropics and subtropics of the Old World

Pandanaceae is a family of flowering plants native to the tropics and subtropics of the Old World, from West Africa through the Pacific. It contains 982 known species in five genera, of which the type genus, Pandanus, is the most important, with species like Pandanus amaryllifolius and karuka being important sources of food. It is an ancient family dating from the early to mid-Cretaceous. This is a family that is not-well studied.

<i>Plumeria obtusa</i> Species of tree

Plumeria obtusa, the Singapore graveyard flower, is a species of the genus Plumeria (Apocynaceae). It is native to the West Indies, southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Florida. but widely cultivated for its ornamental and fragrant flowers around the world, where suitably warm climate exists. It is reportedly naturalized in China.

<i>Ipomoea pandurata</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomoea pandurata, known as man of the earth, wild potato vine, manroot, wild sweet potato, and wild rhubarb, is a species of herbaceous perennial vine native to North America. It is a twining plant of woodland verges and rough places with heart-shaped leaves and funnel-shaped white flowers with a pinkish throat. The large tuberous roots can be roasted and eaten, or can be used to make a poultice or infusion. When uncooked, the roots have purgative properties.

<i>Alisma lanceolatum</i> Species of plant

Alisma lanceolatum is a species of aquatic plant in the water plantain family known by the common names lanceleaf water plantain and narrow-leaved water plantain. It is widespread across Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia. It is naturalized in Australia, New Zealand, Oregon, California and British Columbia. It is considered a noxious weed in some places.

<i>Rauvolfia vomitoria</i> Species of plant

Rauvolfia vomitoria, the poison devil's-pepper, is a plant species in the genus Rauvolfia. It is native from Senegal east to Sudan and Tanzania, south to Angola; and naturalized in China, Bangladesh, different ranges of Himalayan and Puerto Rico. The plant contains a number of compounds of interest to the pharmaceutical industry and is widely used in traditional medicine.

<i>Jatropha gossypiifolia</i> Species of plant

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, Philippines, 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 2.5–4 m (8.2–13.1 ft) 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.

Paronychia argyrocoma, the silvery nailwort, is a plant species native to the eastern United States. It has a disjunct distribution, found in New England and the Appalachian Mountains of the Southeast but not from New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania in between. The species grows on rocky sites at elevations of 200–1800 m.

<i>Sagittaria platyphylla</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria platyphylla, the delta arrowhead, broad-leaf arrowhead or delta duck-potato, is a plant species native to the eastern United States. The core of its range extends from central Texas to the Florida Panhandle north to southern Illinois.

<i>Clerodendrum umbellatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Clerodendrum umbellatum is a scandent African shrub of the family Lamiaceae, but previously placed in Verbenaceae. It is found in Tropical Africa, Central America and Tropical Asia, its distribution being to some extent anthropogenic, and is often planted for its showy flowers. The genus Clerodendrum is large with more than 300 species currently accepted.

<i>Erigeron flagellaris</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron flagellaris is a North American species of flowering plants in the daisy family known by the common names trailing fleabane.

<i>Arctanthemum integrifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Arctanthemum integrifolium, the entire-leaved daisy, is a subarctic species of plant in the sunflower family. It grows in Alaska, northern Canada, Peary Land in northern Greenland, and the East Chukotka region of eastern Russia.

<i>Rheum webbianum</i> Species of plant

Rheum webbianum is a species of herbaceous perennial rhubarb-relative in the family Polygonaceae from the southwestern Himalayan region, known in (Indian) English as Indian rhubarb, Gilgiti rhubarb or small Himalayan rhubarb.

<i>Hypericum lancasteri</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum lancasteri, known as Lancaster's St. John's wort or as zhan e jin si tao in Chinese, is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family Hypericaceae. The species has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

<i>Hypericum oblongifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Hypericum oblongifolium, known as Pendant St. John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in Hypericumsect. Ascyreia.

<i>Rumex occidentalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Rumex occidentalis is a flowering plant species belonging to the family Polygonaceae. Commonly known as western dock, Rumex occidentalis can be found in parts of Western North America.

<i>Rumex cuneifolius</i> Species of flowering plant

Rumex cuneifolius is a flowering plant species in the family Polygonaceae.

<i>Pterodiscus</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Pterodiscus is a genus of plant in the Pedaliaceae family comprising several species with a native range from Ethiopia to S. Africa. The range passes through the countries of Angola, Botswana,, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Plus it is found also within the Provinces of South Africa in Cape Provinces, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Provinces.

Zanthoxylum liboense (Chinese: 荔波花椒 is a plant in the Rutaceae family.

References

  1. "Jatropha podagrica". International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  2. "Jatropha podagrica Hook. — The Plant List". www.theplantlist.org. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  3. "Tropicos | Name - !Jatropha podagrica Hook". www.tropicos.org. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jatropha podagrica". www.llifle.com. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Gouty stem of Jatropha podagrica (Buddha Belly Plant) | John&Jacq~s Garden" . Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Buddha belly plant, Jatropha podagrica, Gout plant, Fo du shu : Philippine Medicinal Herbs / Alternative Medicine". www.stuartxchange.org. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  7. "Jatropha podagrica - Australian Bottle Plant". www.flowersofindia.net. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  8. 1 2 Queensl, Children's Health (2017-07-18). "Guatemala rhubarb (Jatropha podagrica) | Children's Health Queensland". Children’s Health Queensland. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  9. "Jatropha podagrica in Flora of China @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
  10. Bawm, Saw; Tiwananthagorn, Saruda; Lin, Kyaw San; Hirota, Junichi; Irie, Takao; Htun, Lat Lat; Maw, Ni Ni; Myaing, Tin Tin; Phay, Nyunt; Miyazaki, Satoshi; Sakurai, Tatsuya (2010). "Evaluation of Myanmar Medicinal Plant Extracts for Antitrypanosomal and Cytotoxic Activities". Journal of Veterinary Medical Science. advpub (4): 525–8. doi: 10.1292/jvms.09-0508 . PMID   20032625.
  11. Aiyelaagbe, O. O.; Adesogan, E. K.; Ekundayo, O.; Adeniyi, B. A. (2000). "The antimicrobial activity of roots of Jatropha podagrica (Hook)". Phytotherapy Research. 14 (1): 60–62. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1573(200002)14:1<60::AID-PTR597>3.0.CO;2-B. ISSN   1099-1573. PMID   10641053.
  12. Aiyelaagbe, Olapeju O.; Adesogan, Kayode; Ekundayo, Olusegun; Gloer, James B. (2008). "ChemInform Abstract: Antibacterial Diterpenoids from Jatropha podagrica Hook". ChemInform. 39 (6). doi:10.1002/chin.200806166. ISSN   1522-2667.
  13. "Jatropha podagrica (PIM 647)". www.inchem.org. Retrieved 2020-01-13.