Jatropha dioica

Sessé

Gaz. Lit. México 3(suppl.): 4. 1794.

Common names: Sangre de drago sangregado leatherstem
Illustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 204. Mentioned on page 199.

Subshrubs, to 1 m, dioecious, rhizomatous, often forming colonies. Stems spreading, reddish-brown (when actively growing) or red to dark red or grayish (when dormant), much-branched, rubbery-succulent, glabrous; short-shoots common; latex watery, colorless to cloudy-whitish in fast-growing shoots, blood red in basal portion of older shoots and rhizomes. Leaves deciduous, fascicled on short-shoots; stipules deciduous, linear, 1–2 mm, undivided; petiole 0–0.2 cm, not stipitate-glandular; blade linear-spatulate to narrowly obovate, 1.5–5 (–7) × 0.2–0.7 cm, usually unlobed, sometimes shallowly, rarely deeply, 3-lobed, base attenuate, margins entire, apex rounded, membranous, surfaces glabrous; venation pinnate (palmate if lobed). Inflorescences terminal or axillary, fascicles; peduncle absent; bracts absent. Pedicels 1–2.5 mm. Staminate flowers: sepals distinct or connate basally, ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, 2.5–3 × 1.2–1.4 mm, margins entire, apex acute, abaxial surface hairy, adaxial glabrous; corolla white to pinkish white, urceolate-tubular, petals connate most of length, 5–6 × 1.4–1.5 mm, abaxial surface sparsely puberulent abaxially, adaxial glabrous; stamens 10 in 2 whorls (5 + 5); filaments of both whorls connate from 1/5–3/4+ length, outer whorl 2–3 mm, inner whorl 3–5 mm. Pistillate flowers resembling staminate; carpel 1; style 2.5–3 mm. Capsules ellipsoidal, 1.2–1.4 × 1.1–1.3 cm, tardily dehiscent. Seeds solid gray-brown, spheric, 12 mm diam.; caruncle rudimentary. 2n = 44.

Distribution

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Tex., n Mexico

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

R. McVaugh (1945b) recognized two varieties in Jatropha dioica based primarily on leaf shape; the two are not readily recognizable and probably hybridization between them has resulted in intermediate populations, as McVaugh noted. The varieties are treated here with some reservation.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Leaf blades oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 3.5–5(–7) cm; sepals distinct; stamen filaments connate 3/4+ length; petals pinkish white. Jatropha dioica var. dioica
1 Leaf blades linear-spatulate, 1.5–2.5 cm; sepals connate basally; stamen filaments connate to 1/4 length; petals white. Jatropha dioica var. graminea

"connate" is not a number."connate" is not a number. "distinct" is not a number.

... more about "Jatropha dioica"
puberulent +  and hairy +
acute;rounded +
membranous +
Bijan Dehgan +
Sessé +
attenuate +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> - 7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> - 5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> +
3-lobed;unlobed;linear-spatulate;narrowly obovate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> - 0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> - 1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br /> +
ellipsoidal +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> - 1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br /> +
Sangre de drago +, sangregado +  and leatherstem +
white;pinkish white +
urceolate-tubular +
Tex. +  and n Mexico +
staminate +  and pistillate +
stipitate-glandular +
subtending +
axillary +  and terminal +
bisexual +  and unisexual +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> - ? +  and 0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> - ? +
palmate +  and pinnate +
blood red +, colorless +  and cloudy-whitish +
deciduous +
palmate +  and pinnate +
crenate +, repand +  and subentire +
extrastaminal +
5-lobed +, annular +  and of 5 glands +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> - ? +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> - ? +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> - 0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> +
purple +, red +, pink +, greenish yellow +  and white +
connate;distinct +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> - 0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> +
not stipitate-glandular +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> - 0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> +
1-3-carpellate +
Gaz. Lit. México +
gray-brown +
spheric +
connate +  and distinct +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> - ? +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> - ? +
ovate +  and elliptic-lanceolate +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> - 0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> +
fast-growing +
Illustrated +
free +, connate +  and distinct +
connate;distinct +
much-branched +
red;dark red or grayish +
rubbery-succulent +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> - 0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> +
connate +  and distinct +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> - ? +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> - ? +
Jatropha dioica +
Jatropha +
species +
5] +  and 2 +