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Jatropha podagrica
Also called Guatemalan Rhubarb, Gout Stalk, Bottle Euphorbia, Goutstalk Nettlespurge, Purgingnut, White Rhubarb, Buddha Belly Plant
In Singapore: Buddha Belly Plant, Gout Plant, Guatemalan Rhubarb, Australian Bottle Plant, Tartoga, Jarak Bunting, Gout Stick, 珊瑚油桐, 佛肚树 (Cultivated in Singapore)
Jatropha podagrica is a caudiciform succulent shrub from Central America and southern Mexico, grown for its swollen grey-green caudex and orange-red flowers. Keep it dry and in bright light, as the caudex rots if overwatered.
Jatropha podagrica is a species of flowering, caudiciform succulent plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, aligning it closely with related genera such as Croton, Euphorbia and Ricinus (castor bean), among others. It is native to the neotropics of Central America and southern Mexico, but is grown as an ornamental plant in many parts of the world due to its unusual appearance and mature caudex development. Common names for the species include gout-plant, gout-stalk, Guatemalan rhubarb, coral-plant, Buddha-belly plant, purging-nut, physic-nut, goutystalk nettlespurge, Australian bottleplant (a geographical misnomer) and tartogo.
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.
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.
There are many traditional uses of J. podagrica in folk medicine, with a number of significant research initiatives being undertaken into the species' potential health benefits. Several projects have sought to identify medicinally-useful compounds contained within J. podagrica, with potential applications as an analgesic, aphrodisiac, antimicrobial/disinfectant, antivenin, gout treatment, intestinal parasite purge, laxative and tonic, amongst other possibilities.
Barbados nut · Jatropha gaumeri · Bellyache bush · Peregrina · Coralbush · Nettlespurge
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Jatropha podagrica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
