Bellyache Bush
Jatropha gossypiifolia
Also known as Cotton Leaf, Puppet seed plant, Physic nut, Sibidigua, Tua-Tua
About Bellyache Bush
Jatropha gossypiifolia, commonly known as bellyache bush, black physicnut or cotton-leaf physicnut, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The species is native to Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean islands, but is currently spread throughout the tropics. It is declared noxious weed in Puerto Rico and is naturalised in northern Australia, including Queensland where it is listed as a Class 2 declared pest plant. It grows to 2.5–4 m (8.2–13.1 ft) high. The three lobed leaves are purple and sticky when young and become bright green with age. The small red flowers with yellow centres appear in clusters. These are followed by cherry-sized seed pods that are poisonous.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Jatropha gossypiifolia
- Genus
- Jatropha
- Family
- EUPHORBIACEAE
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Grown as hedge plant, also runs wild
- Native to
- New World tropics
- Distribution
- Tropics
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Hindi
- रतनजोती Ratanjoti
- Bengali
- লাল ভেরেন্ডা
- Tamil
- சிறிய ஆமணக்கு Siria Amanakku, சிவப்பு ஆதாலை, காட்டாமணக்கு
- Kannada
- ಚಿಕ್ಕಕಾಡಹರಳು Chikka kada haralu
- Malayalam
- Chuvanna Kadalavanakku, ചുവന്ന കടലാവണക്ക്, Jatropha gossypifolia
Euphorbiaceae
Spurge/Euphorbia family
Bellyache Bush belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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