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Fine foliage
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Jatropha curcas makes an attractive ornamental plant, especially when the leaves turn a ruddy brown
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THE GLABROUS, cordate orbicular lobed leaves of Jatropha curcas look ornamental in a garden. Their exquisite pattern, tender green colour and pubescence make them unique.
The six inch long petioles, holding closely the six inch diameter leaves densely crown the shrub. The play of sunlight on the leaves turns them into a ruddy brown.Jatropha curcas is evergreen, soft wooded an indigenous in tropical America.
It is cultivated in most tropical countries and naturalised in India. Sometimes, one comes across small trees of Jatropha but they are usually seen as hedges in villages as the cut branches sprout readily throughout the year.The juice of leaves lathers when rubbed between the hands. Gargling with the juice cures mouth ulcers. Smooth greenish white bark peels off in characteristic thin flakes. The wood is light, weighing 20 lbs a cu. ft. Large-sized wood is rare.
The yellow green flowers are inconspicuous. Fruit is a sub-globose capsule on to one-and-a-half inches long. Oil extracted from the seeds is used for burning temple lamps.
The oil is also popularly known as bio-diesel. In medicine, it is used as a purgative, emetic and for application on wounds and ulcers.
Propagation can be done through seeds but by planting cuttings of uniform height one is assured of rapid growth. By planting the cuttings slanting, in the opposite direction on raised mounds, dense foliage heads can be raised. Except for periodic cleaning, no maintenance is necessary.
J. MANGALARAJ JOHNSON
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