Jatropha Curcas Tree 5 OR 50 Seeds, Biodiesel Fuel Source, Physic Nut, Cash Crop

Jatropha Curcas
Also known as: The Physic Nut, Barbados Nut, or Purging Nut

This is a semi-evergreen shrub or small tree that is native to the American Tropics, most likely Mexico and Central America but is becoming naturalized where it is highly cultivated in some tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world. It is a non edible oil crop predominately used to produce biodiesel. It can be used in place of kerosene and diesel and as a substitute for fuel wood, it has been promoted to make rural areas self sufficient in fuels for cooking, lighting and motive power. The oil has similar properties as palm oil. In addition to biodiesel production, the by-product of this species can be used to make a wide range of products including high quality paper, energy pellets, soap, cosmetics, toothpaste, embalming fluid, pipe joint cement, cough medicine and as a moistening agent in tobacco. The seed cake can be used as a rich organic fertilizer as well. Medically it is used for diseases like cancer, piles, snakebite, paralysis, dropsy etc. The seeds are a source of the highly poisonous toxalbumin curcin, so caution should be taken.

Normally, it grows between three and five meters in height, but can attain a height of up to eight or ten meters under favorable conditions. It grows best on well drained soils (pref PH 6-9) with good aeration but is well adapted to marginal soils with low nutrient content. It grows well with more than 600mm rainfall per year and it can withstand long periods of drought. The plant sheds its leaves during a prolonged dry season. It prefers temperatures averaging 20-28 degrees C (68-85 degrees F). It can, however, withstand a very light frost which causes it to lose all its leaves and may produce a sharp decline in seed yield. 
One ton of Jatropha Curcas seeds will produce up to 600 liters of biodiesel with proper management. Recommended planting rate is 3,030 plants per hectare (2.5 acres).
If planted in hedges, the reported productivity of Jatropha is from 0.8 kg. to 1.0 kg. of seed per meter of live fence. The seed production is around 3.5 tons / hectare (Seed production ranges from about 0.4 tons per hectare in first year to over 5 tons per hectare after 3 years). Seed production is said to last up to 50 years. A good crop can be obtained with little effort.

Choose from packs of 5 or 50 seeds.