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, 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
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.
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
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)