Jatropha

This is a beautiful plant with maroon to reddish flowers and can be used as a center of focal point in appropriate places. I am in 9a and...Read More have seen it die out completely and come back the next spring. Gets to about 6' tall and full of flowers. Agree with all the comments made in the prior reports.

Bought seeds from Kohres Kakteen, which all germinated, and just today I put one in the ground at a local park that I am planting out. Lo...Read Morevely, unusual foliage, and fast growth. The seeds were smaller than Jatropha curacas, and may not have the same useful oiliness (biodiesel), but I'm not sure about that.

Only Madagascan Jatropha. Grows as a small shrub up to 18' (in Madagascar.. may not get that tall in cultivation). Grows quite fast... ...Read More1' tall rooted cutting grew to a 4' multibranched plant easily 10x the mass in just 6 months... now to see if it makes it through the winter here...

Well, made it through the winter, and a particularly harsh winter... but totally defoliated, and even debranched... and this is with some overhead protection. My guess is this is a zone 10a plant at best, and probably marginal as one. However, recovery was rapid and complete, and now, in the middle of summer, plant is bigger and bushier than ever.. .even had to trim off a bunch of branches (which, by the way, do not root easily... I think they have to be over a year old to root).

Plant is now about 4 years old and has pretty much topped out at about 6' tall... but hasn't been through another harsh winter yet. Pretty nice pachycaul tree.