Ratanjot / Purging Nut
Jatropha curcas
Also known as Physic Nut, Barbados Nut, Curcas Nut, Jatropha
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- 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
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
- Margin
- Variable
Typical of the Euphorbiaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Euphorbiaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
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.
Euphorbiaceae
Spurge/Euphorbia family
Ratanjot belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Euphorbiaceae family →Snap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Euphorbiaceae
View all Euphorbiaceae →Sources: GBIF — Jatropha curcas (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Jatropha curcas (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)