29 August 2010

JATROPHA INTEGERRIMA

The ornamental Jatropha integerrima (synonym: J. panduraefolia, J. hastata; common name: Spicy Jatropha, Coral Plant, Peregrina) from the Euphorbiaceae Family has always been one of my favourite tall shrubs because of its abundant vibrant scarlet flowers.

I like to let it grow into a small tree and pair it up with some other lower shrubs in a landscape. This lobe-leaved or what I call spear-leaved Jatropha is even more attractive than the usual variety. However, of late, I realized this shrub appears to be more susceptible to mealy bugs infestation. In fact, I lost quite a few big ones at the Car Park Garden quite some time ago.

I think we should harvest the ripe seeds and try to grow them and hopefully there will be a more resistant strain amongst them against the pesky pest. 2 links are below for reference: