Leatherstem (Jatropha dioica)
Description
“Pet poisonous” – Toxic parts: seeds Jatropha dioica is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, that is native to Texas in the United States as well as Mexico as far south as Oaxaca. Common names include leatherstem and sangre de drago.The specific name refers to the dioecious nature of the plantsJ. dioica forms colonies from subterranean rhizomes. The arching, succulent stems reach a height of 20-60 cm and have few branches. They are tough and sufficiently flexible to be tied into overhand knots without breaking.The orange rootstock spreads to a length of around 1 m.Leaves are arranged simply, alternately, or fascicularly and are clustered on short shoots extending from the stems. They are subsessile and have entire margins. The leaves of the nominate variety are linear and measure up to 6 - 1 cm, whereas the leaves of J. dioica var. graminea may be 2 to 3-lobed and measure up to 6.5 - 0.5 cm. Male inflorescences are clustered cymes.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Malpighiales
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Family: Euphorbiaceae
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Genus: Jatropha
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