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Plant No.
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Posted October 13, 2005 |
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This plant is
about 8 feet across and 6 feet high. The pictures include:
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a closeup of
the flower and seed pods.
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a closeup of an
immature and mature seed pod with ruler.
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the leaves,
also showing the flower and seed pods.
It is growing
in Maui, Hawaii at an elevation of about 700 feet, in a
shady, warm, moist environment near the town of Haiku.
Hope someone
has some ideas...
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 This
plant is Jatropha multifida, a native of Central
America and South America grown for its ornamental
features. It is poisonous and has irritant sap and since
many members of the Euphorbia family can be invasive,
monitor this plant carefully.
Stefan Lura
Washington, DC
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Description: Coral plant,
Jatropha multifida, is a shrub or small tree with a
single trunk, a loose, spreading crown and a typical height
in cultivation of 6-10 ft (1.8-3.1 m, although it can grow
up to 20 ft (6.1 m) tall. The very distinctive leaves are
large, growing up to 12 in (30.5 cm) wide. They are cut
deeply into 7-11 narrow lobes with the margins of each lobe
themselves dissected into narrow pointed segments. They are
dark green above and whitish beneath. The flowers are bright
coral red and borne in flat-topped clusters on long stalks
held high above the foliage. Coral plant blooms on and off
all year long, and especially during hot weather. Most
Euphorbs have a milky sap that flows from broken stems, but
that of coral plant looks more like cloudy water.
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