Accession Count: 1
Common Name:
sycamore leaf limberbush
Family Name:
Euphorbiaceae
Botanical Name:
Jatropha malacophylla
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
The ensangregado is a small tree or large shrub (1). It can grow up to 10 m (33 ft) tall, and can sometimes have a thickened trunk (3). The ensangregado has whitish to purplish stems, branches heavily overall and has a tendency to sometimes form branches from the base of the trunk (1, 3). Young branches are quite tomentose, but older growth has smooth bark and crescent shaped leaf scars (1). The latex (characteristic of Euphorbiaceae) is watery and clear in younger shoots, but reddish and bloodlike in older branches (1). The leaves are simple, alternate, and spirally arranged (1, 3). They are cold and drought deciduous, but some may remain near the branch tips (1). The petioles are 1.5-8 cm (0.5-3.25 inches) long, and quite pubescent when young (1). They are followed by a broadly ovate blade, 6.5-9 cm X 6.5-12 cm (2.5-3.5 x 2.5-4.75 inches) in size, with 3-5 palmately veined lobes, which are typically 2-7.5 cm (0.75-3 inches) in length (1). The leaves are membranous, their margins entire, and whitely pubescent on both surfaces when young (1).The inflorescences are dioecious, lateral and few-flowered (1). The flowers are white and solitary, with tubular corollas and obovate petals (1). The capsules are ellipsoid, 1.6-2 x 1.2-1.8 cm (0.6-0.8 x 0.45-0.7 inches), distinctly ribbed, and tardily dehiscent (1). The seeds are dark brown with black mottling, oval, 1.2-1.4 x 0.9-1.1cm (0.45-0.55 x 0.35-0.45 inches), caruncle present (1).
Compound:
Jat mal
Geographic Origin:
Mexico
Ecozone Origin:
Nearctic
Biome Origin:
Desert or dry shrubland
Natural History:
The name Jatropha comes from the Greek “jatros” (doctor) and “trophe” (food) (6). “Malacophylla” refers to this species’ fleshy, pubescent leaves, from the Greek “malaco” (soft) and “phyllon” (leaf) (5). The genus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1737 (3). A comprehensive monograph was completed by Bijan Dehgan in 2012, showing that this genus is still being revised in modern times (1). This particular species is distributed throughout the western length of mainland Mexico, growing in thornscrub forests on heavy clay coastal plains or sandy arroyos. It grows between 100-600 m (328—1968 ft) (1).
Cultivation Notes:
While this species is recommended as a drought-tolerant landscape plant (1), it is quite rare in cultivation. The plant is described as having opportunistic growth, meaning its growth responds to water availability (1). It also has a dormancy period in late autumn which can occur even in a heated greenhouse (1). In the wild, the plant can remain dormant but viable for many years, and this may hold true in cultivation as well (1).
Ethnobotany:
Given the meaning of the generic name “Jatropha”, meaning “food doctor” this plant has many traditional uses. To relieve tooth pain, the Tarahumara people were reported to chew the wood or brew it into tea, and it has been reported to help with mouth sores and bleeding gums as well when gargled (1,4). The sap or stems can also be used as poultice to help alleviate burns, cuts, or insect stings (4). Beyond medicine use, the astringency of limberbush species made them useful for old fashioned hide tanning (4). The tannins in the plant constrict and tighten the proteins in the animal hide (4).
Height:
20 - 50 feet
Width:
11 - 15 feet
Growth Rate:
Fast Growing
Grow Season:
Summer
Flower Season:
ForeSummer
Color:
White
Function:
Accent
Spread:
Non-spreading
Allergen:
Allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Toxic
Hardy:
Semi-hardy
Water Use:
Low water Use
Citations:
- Dehgan, B. (2012). Jatropha (Euphorbiaceae), Flora Neotropica Monograph
110. The New York Botanical Garden Press,
for The Organization for Flora Neotropica.
- Tropicos.org. Accessed 28 September, 2024.
- UC Davis:
Center for Plant Diversity. Accessed 29
September, 2024.
- Kanes, C. W.
(2006). Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest. Lincoln Town Press.
- World of
Succulents. Accessed 10 October, 2024.
- ScienceDirect. Accessed 10 October, 2024.
