Jatropha angustifolia Griseb.

  • Authority

    Dehgan, Bijan. 2012. . Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 110: 1--274. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Euphorbiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Jatropha angustifolia Griseb.

  • Type

    Type. Cuba. Vueltabago, 22 Jul 1860 (fl, fr), C. Wright 1956 (holotype: GOET; isotypes: F, GH, K, NY, P, US).

  • Synonyms

    Adenoropium angustifolium Arthur, Jatropha angustifolia var. genuina Müll.Arg., Jatropha glauca Griseb., Jatropha angustifolia var. spathulata Müll.Arg.

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrubs or subshrubs, to 1 m tall. Stems: much-branched, soft and pliable, covered with short pubescence, leaf scars flattened-oval, trunk to 7 cm in diam., latex nearly clear in younger branches, cloudy in older ones. Leaves: persistent, stipules linear, ca. 0.2 mm long, petioles sessile or subsessile, often covered with short, glandular cilia near leaf axils; blades heteromorphic, 5.5-9.5 x 0.5-4 cm, unlobed, younger (recent) linear, older (early) elliptic-ovate; membranous to crustaceous, base cuneate, margins entire, apex acute to abruptly acuminate, venation pinnate with few to no visible, secondary veins, scurfy on abaxial side but glabrous on adaxial. Inflorescences: terminal becoming lateral with continued growth, cymose, peduncles 5-10 cm long; bracts caducous, 1-7 mm long; pedicels 0.5-3 mm long, when present. Staminate flowers: sepals ovate, distinct, 2-3 x 1-1.5 mm, connate at base, margins entire, apex rounded, glabrous on both surfaces; corollas pink to rose-pink, rotate, petals elliptic-ovate to obovate, distinct, 7-13 x 3.5-7.5 mm, apex rounded, glabrous on both surfaces, but tufts of hair often present at adaxial base of petals; stamens 10, diadelphous-biseriate (5 + 5), filaments of outer series 1.5-3 mm long and those of inner series 3-6 mm, both connate to ca. ½ of length, basal glands small, spherical, ca. 1.5 mm long. Pistillate flowers: like staminate but sepals 2-4 x 1.5-2 mm; corollas 7-16.5 x 4.5-8.5 mm; styles distinct, 1-2 mm long, filiform, ovary 3-lobed, glabrous. Capsules: brownish upon maturity, nearly spherical, 7-13 x 7-10 mm, explosively dehiscent. Seeds: brown-black and often mottled with gray, oval, 7.5-8 x 4.5-5 mm, smooth, caruncle prominent.

  • Discussion

    Local name. Peregrina.

    As a result of its heterophylly, Jatropha angustifolia has been described as two distinct taxa: J. angustifolia with linear to ovate leaves and J. glauca with elliptic-ovate leaves. In fact, younger, developing leaves are linear-lanceolate, whereas older (earlier) leaves are ovate-elliptic. Many specimens bear leaves of both shapes, but others show only one or the other. However,a specimens collected in sandy, pine wood areas appear to have narrower leaves and usually were annotated as J. glauca or J. angustifolia var. glauca (Griseb.) Pax. Jatropha angustifolia var. gemina Müll.Arg., Cuba, n.d, C. Wright 1956 (US 2530481), is an isotype of J. angustifolia. I erroneously annotated this specimen as a topotype in 2003.

  • Distribution

    Endemic to western Cuba (Isla de la Juventud and Pinar del Río), usually in white, sandy soil at lower elevations. Flowering and fruiting primarily during spring and summer, but all year.

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