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Jatropha pelargoniifolia

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A plant I found in Oman.


The sap turns red real fast.


It was only the fruit that gave its ID.


It can grow into small bushes.

Author: Alfred Courbon, 1862
Family:  EUPHORBIACEAE
Origin:  Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia.
Soil:  Grit - Sand
Water:  Medium
Sun:  Maximum
Thickness:  10 Centimetres
Height:  20-200 Centimetres
Flower:  Yellowish
Propagate:  Seeds
Names:  -
Synonyms:  Jatropha villosa var. pelargoniifolia, Chiov. 1929.
Jatropha pelargoniifolia var. glabra, (Müll.Arg.) Radcl.-Sm.
Jatropha pelargoniifolia var. sublobata, Radcl.-Sm.

This member of the Euphorbiaceae family was given this name by Alfred Courbon in 1862. It is found in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Yemen, Oman and Saudi Arabia, growing in a well drained soil with some water and lots of sun. The caudex can grow to ten centimetres in diameter, the entire plant to 20 centimetres in height. The flowers are yellowish.

The genera name from the Greek words ἰατρός; iatros, meaning 'physician', and τροφή; trophe meaning 'nutrition', as to medicinal uses. As the species name so elegant imply, the leaves are really Pelargonium-like.