Are jatropha seeds edible?

No — the seeds are toxic if eaten and should never be consumed, despite superficially resembling other edible nuts.

Why is it grown for biodiesel?

Its seeds are rich in oil that can be processed into biodiesel, and because the shrub tolerates poor soil and low rainfall, it's been promoted for cultivation on land unsuited to food crops.

✿Euphorbiaceae · Jatropha

Ratanjot / Purging Nut

Jatropha curcas

Also known as Physic Nut, Barbados Nut, Curcas Nut, Jatropha

TreeMedicinal

Habit: Tree
Found in India: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & more
Flowering: Throughout the year

Identify this plant with SASYA

How to identify Ratanjot

Identify Ratanjot by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.

Look for a tree habit.
Check the distinctive field mark: Seeds pressed for biodiesel (physic nut).
Confirm leaf arrangement: Alternate.
Confirm leaf margin: Lobed.
Confirm flower colour: Red.
Confirm fruit type: Capsule.
In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Jatropha curcas
Genus: Jatropha
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Habit: Tree
Native to: New World tropics
Distribution: Tropics of the World
Found in India: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Telangana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Delhi, Puducherry, Punjab, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh
Flowering & fruiting: Throughout the year
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf arrangement: AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“In general, the leaves are green to pale green, alternate to subopposite, and three- to five-lobed with a spiral phyllotaxis.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Leaf margin: LobedrecordedThe edge is divided into rounded or pointed sections that don't reach the midrib.“In general, the leaves are green to pale green, alternate to subopposite, and three- to five-lobed with a spiral phyllotaxis.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded

Typical of the family

Type: Simple
Venation: Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Ratanjot itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour: Redrecorded
Fruit type: CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“Seeds: the seeds are mature when the capsule changes from green to yellow.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Flower symmetry: Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
Inflorescence: Cyme
Fruit: Capsule

Characters marked “recorded” are for Ratanjot itself; the rest are typical of the Euphorbiaceae family — flowering plants only.

Local Names

Hindi: जमाल घोटा Jamal ghota, रतनजोत Ratanjot, जंगली अरंडी Jangli arandi, ratanjyor
Nepali: सजीवन
Bengali: Bagbherenda, Bherenda, Sada verenda, সাদা ভেরেন্ডা
Tamil: Kattukkotai
Telugu: Nepalam, Adavi amudam, అడవి ఆముదము చెట్టు
Kannada: Kananeranda, ಕಾಚಿ ಗಿಡ
Malayalam: Kattamank, Katalavanakku, കടലാവണക്ക്
Marathi: Mogli Erand, Maraharalu, मोगली एरंड

Ratanjot in India

This shrub, known as जमाल घोटा Jamal ghota (Hindi), Kattukkotai (Tamil), Nepalam (Telugu), Kananeranda (Kannada), Kattamank (Malayalam), Mogli Erand (Marathi), is grown both as a living fence and for its oil-rich seeds. Jatropha curcas is found across Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, tolerant of poor soils and drought.

Uses

Its seed oil has been studied and used as a biodiesel feedstock, and the shrub is commonly planted as a living, browsing-resistant boundary fence since livestock generally avoid it — but its seeds are toxic if eaten and should never be ingested.

How to Identify Ratanjot

A shrub with smooth, pale grey bark and broad, shallowly lobed leaves. Small greenish-yellow flowers cluster at the branch tips, followed by oval capsules that ripen yellow to brown and split into three sections, each releasing a black seed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Purging nut called in different Indian languages?: जमाल घोटा Jamal ghota (Hindi); Kattukkotai (Tamil); Nepalam (Telugu); Kananeranda (Kannada); Kattamank (Malayalam); Mogli Erand (Marathi); Bagbherenda (Bengali).
Are jatropha seeds edible?: No — the seeds are toxic if eaten and should never be consumed, despite superficially resembling other edible nuts.
Why is it grown for biodiesel?: Its seeds are rich in oil that can be processed into biodiesel, and because the shrub tolerates poor soil and low rainfall, it's been promoted for cultivation on land unsuited to food crops.

Botanical family

Euphorbiaceae

Spurge/Euphorbia family

Ratanjot belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

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Sources: GBIF — Jatropha curcas (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Jatropha curcas (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)