Jatropha spicata Pax

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Photo: Bart Wursten
SRGH

Photo: Bart Wursten
Hwali River bridge

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Synonyms:	Jatropha messinica E.A. Bruce
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Small shrub, up to 1.25 m. Stems brittle, somewhat succulent, hairless. Leaves up to 14 × 10 cm, deeply palmately divided into 5-7; lobes narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to linear lanceolate, more or less deep green; margin with glandular teeth. Inflorescences terminal, laxly branched. Flowers unisexual, yellow to greenish-yellow. Fruit subcylindric, lobed, up to 12 × 9 mm, hairless, pale green, drying brown.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	spicata: arranged in a spike.
Habitat:	In hot dry river valleys, on basalt rocky hillsides and in gravelly soils in open dry Acacia-Mopane-Commiphora woodland.
Altitude range: (metres)	360 - 580 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Angola, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Limpopo, South Africa.
Zimbabwe distribution:	E,S
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:	Data deficient
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Thursday 1 May 2008
Literature:	Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 252. As Jatropha messinica Golding, J.S. (ed.) (2002). Zimbabwe Plant Red Data List. Southern African Plant Red Data Lists. SABONET 14 Page 179. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 42. Radcliffe-Smith, A. (1996). Euphorbiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(4) Page 264. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 57.

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Flora of Botswana: Jatropha spicata

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Jatropha spicata
African Plant Database: Jatropha spicata
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Jatropha spicata
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Jatropha spicata
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Jatropha spicata
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Jatropha spicata
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Jatropha spicata
JSTOR Plant Science: Jatropha spicata
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Jatropha spicata
Plants of the World Online: Jatropha spicata
Tropicos: Jatropha spicata
Wikipedia: Jatropha spicata