Jatropha cardiophylla

Common Name: Limberbush, Sangre de Drago
Oˊodham Name: Wa:s Audio
Group: Succulents － Desert, Chaparral

Description

Jatropha cardiophylla grows form a large, underground tuber that produces a small number of stems up to 3 feet long. The stems are thick and succulent, and normally are leafless. During the Monsoon, a small number of shiny, heart-shaped leaves are produced. The leaves and stems contain a natural latex rubber. The stems may be used to produce a red dye. This species grows among rocks in the desert and on rocky slopes in the chaparral between 2500 and 4000 ft elevation.

Classification

Kingdom Plantae － Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta － Vascular plants

Superdivision Spermatophyta － Seed plants

Division Magnoliophyta － Flowering plants

Class Magnoliopsida － Dicotyledons

Subclass Rosidae

Order Euphorbiales

Family Euphorbiaceae － Spurge family

Genus Jatropha L. － nettlespurge

Species Jatropha cardiophylla (Torr.) Müll. Arg. － sangre de cristo

More Information

USDA Plant Profile and Map