Jatropha gossypiifolia L., Euphorbiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

Reject, score: 12 (Go to the risk assessment (Australia))
High risk, score: 18 (Go to the risk assessment (Pacific))
Risk assessment from the Government of Queensland, Australia (PDF format).

Other Latin names:  Adenoropium gossypiifolium (L.) Pohl.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: bellyache bush, black physicnut, cotton-leaved physic nut, figus nut, red physic nut, wild cassava

French: faux manioc, le lèpre, médicinier bâtard, médicinier noir, médicinier rouge

Marquesan: eitamohoi, eta mohoi, hohoi

Spanish: higuereta cimarrona, piñón negro, purga delfraile, tautuba, túatúa

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Shrub to about 1.5 m tall; leaves membranous, 3-5-lobed, purplish, stick with capitate glandular hairs, slightly serrate, on petioles about 6-9 cm long, blades about 10 cm long and wide or somewhat larger, ciliate; panicle axes purple, 10-15 cm long, sticky-hairy; flowers dark red, just ovary 1 cm broad, petals free; disc lobed; fruit oblong, 2-3-lobed, brown when ripe, about 1.3 cm long" (Stone, 1970; p. 380).

Habitat/ecology:  Forms thickets.  Adapted to a variety of habitats.  Often cultivated as an ornamental.  Seeds are toxic to humans.  "Red physic nut grows on nearly all types of soils within its range. In Puerto Rico, it may be found in areas receiving from 750 to about 2000 mm of annual precipitation. The species is more common in soils with high base saturation, such as dry areas, sites near the ocean, and soils derived from limestone. Red physic nut usually requires disturbance to establish itself and does not compete well with tall grass or heavy weed growth. It is intolerant of shade. Although plants may survive for a season in moderate shade, they need full or nearly full sun for longer-term survival and fruiting. Cattle and horses generally avoid red physic nut, except in extreme shortages of forage, so that the species in often abundant in overgrazed range and poorly managed pastures. It is also common in waste lands, roadsides, poorly tended agricultural fields, and river overflow areas"  (Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories).

In Hawai‘i, "cultivated and sparingly naturalized" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 623). In New Caledonia, "infeste en peuplements denses des pâturages de la partie Nord de la côte Ouest; paraît étre rare ailleurs" (MacKee, 1944; p. 53).  In Australia, "preferred habitats include savanna woodland, riparian areas, monsoon vine forests and coastal foreshores.  It is often a weed of degraded pastures and disturbed river frontages and is commonly associated with old settlements." (Swarbrick & Skarratt, 1994, and Smith, 1995, cited in Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 171).

Propagation:  Seeds. The seeds are ejected away from the parent plant. They can also be transported by water or in mud on vehicles. (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 171).

Native range:  "Red physic nut is a native of the New World (Burkill 1994). The original range is not known, but today it grows wild from Florida through the West Indies and from Mexico through tropical South America (Howard 1989). It has naturalized in most tropical areas of the world (Burkill 1994)"  (Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Aguijan (Agiguan, Aguihan) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 141)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Aguijan (Agiguan, Aguihan) Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1952) (voucher ID: BISH 143303) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Alamagan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 141)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Alamagan Island	introduced invasive	Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. (1975) (p. 30) Voucher cited: Falanruw 1943 (US)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Pagan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 141)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Pagan Island	introduced invasive	Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. (1975) (p. 30) Vouchers cited: Anderson 566 (US), Bonham 5 (US, Fo), Fosberg 31360 (US), Moore 405 (US)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Pagan Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1949) (voucher ID: BISH 143300) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Pagan Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1954) (voucher ID: BISH 143302) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 141)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Sarigan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 141)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Sarigan Island	introduced invasive	Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. (1975) (p. 30) Voucher cited: Evans 2406 (US, BISH, Fo, NY)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Sarigan Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1966) (voucher ID: BISH 401444) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 141)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1958) (voucher ID: BISH 143299) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1952) (voucher ID: BISH 143304) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1945) (voucher ID: BISH 143305) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Mazawa, Thomas R. (2000) (p. 27)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1980) (voucher ID: BISH 659669) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Ovalau Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (pp. 546-547) Voucher cited: Tothill 727, noted as "becoming naturalized".
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Hiva Oa Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J. (1997) (p. 102)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Hiva Oa Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Hiva Oa Island	introduced	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J. (1997) (p. 102)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Huka (Huahuna, Uahuka) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J. (1997) (p. 102)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Huka (Huahuna, Uahuka) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Huka (Huahuna, Uahuka) Island	introduced	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Naturalisée
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 380) Voucher cited: Stone 3997 (GUAM) Sparingly naturalized.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 141)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1964) (voucher ID: BISH 23020) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1949) (voucher ID: BISH 143301) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1965) (voucher ID: BISH 426302) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1970) (voucher ID: BISH 507615) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1966) (voucher ID: BISH 659672) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 623) Diamond Head
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Maré	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 53) Voucher cited: Däniker 2995 (Z)
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 100)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 380) Infeste en peuplements denses des pâturages du Nord de la côte Ouest; rare ailleurs.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 53) Vouchers cited: Franc 1332, MacKee 26492, Suprin in MacKee 43049 Spontané
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 141)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 141)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1946) (voucher ID: BISH 143296) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1946) (voucher ID: BISH 143297) Taxon name on voucher: Jatropha gossypifolia L.
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced invasive	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 449) In waste places at low altitudes, locally abundant.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 171) Declared noxious weed.
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 171)
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 183)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 199)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 52) Cultivated only

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Envahissant"

Comments:  Weakly invasive on Saipan and Tinian—only on very disturbed areas and not invading forests.

A noxious weed in the Northern Territory, Australia (Smith, 2002; pp. 30-31).

Control: 

Physical: Single plants may be dug out, but the tuberous root system must be removed.

Chemical: "With the larger colonies, slash close to the soil surface and immediately swab the cut surface with a picloram + 2,4-D or picloram + triclopyr mixture in water.  Note that slashing by itself is of little use as it encourages regeneration from the roots.  The picloram mixtures are also effective when used as basal bark applications.  Useful control may also be obtained with hexazinone as a soil injection and with glyphosate, triclopyr and imazapyr applied as overall sprays"  (Parsons and Cuthbertson, 1992; pp. 429-430).

Additional information:
Fact sheet from the Government of Queensland, Australia (PDF format).
Fact sheet from "Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories: thamnic descriptions" (PDF format).

Additional online information about Jatropha gossypiifolia is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Jatropha gossypiifolia as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Jatropha gossypiifolia may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1945. Voucher specimen #BISH 143305 (Cowan, R.S.; collector's voucher number unknown).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1946. Voucher specimen #BISH 143296 (Fosberg, F.R. 25769A).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1946. Voucher specimen #BISH 143297 (Hosaka, E.Y. 3345).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1949. Voucher specimen #BISH 143300 (Anderson, D. 566).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1949. Voucher specimen #BISH 143301 (Anderson, D. 108).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1952. Voucher specimen #BISH 143303 (Kondo, Y.; collector's voucher number unknown).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1952. Voucher specimen #BISH 143304 (Kondo, Y. 29).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1954. Voucher specimen #BISH 143302 (Bonham, L.D. 5).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1958. Voucher specimen #BISH 143299 (Krauss, N.L.H. 339).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1964. Voucher specimen #BISH 23020 (Kanemoto, K. 36).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1965. Voucher specimen #BISH 426302 (Fosberg, F.R. 46217).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1966. Voucher specimen #BISH 401444 (Evans, M. 2406).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1966. Voucher specimen #BISH 659672 (Evans, M. 1776).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1970. Voucher specimen #BISH 507615 (Winebrenner, W.H. 150).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1980. Voucher specimen #BISH 659669 (Fosberg, F.R. 60312).

Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. 1998. Potential environmental weeds in Australia: Candidate species for preventative control. Canberra, Australia. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. 208 pp.

Florence, J. 1997. Flore de la Polynésie française, Vol. 1. Paris. Editions de l'Orstom, Institut Français de Recherche Scientifique pour le Développement en Coopération, Collection Faune et Flore Tropicales 34. 393 pp.

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. 1975. Vascular flora of the northern Marianas Islands. Smithsonian Contrib. Bot. 22:1-45.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Francis, John K., ed. 2009. Wildland Shrubs of the United States and its Territories: Thamnic Descriptions General Technical Report IITF-WB-1 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry and Shrub Sciences Laboratory (online resource).

Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe. 1996. Conséquences des introductions d'espèces animales et végétales sur la biodiversité en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Rev. Ecol. (Terre Vie) 51:375-401.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Lavergne, Christophe. 2006. List des especes exotiques envahissantes a La Reunion. Unpublished manuscript (Excel file). .

Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. 2008. Flora of the Marquesas Islands. National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Institution. Online database.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 2 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 530 pp.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2000. Preliminary review of the invasive plants in the Pacific islands (SPREP Member Countries). In: Sherley, G. (tech. ed.). Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Samoa. 190 pp.

Parsons, W. T./Cuthbertson, E. G. 1992. Noxious weeds of Australia. Inkata Press, Melbourne/Sydney. 692 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1981. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 2. 810 pp.

Smith, Nicholas M. 2002. Weeds of the wet/dry tropics of Australia - a field guide. Environment Centre NT, Inc. 112 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Mazawa, Thomas R. 2000. Invasive plant species in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 41 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.