John&Jacq~s Garden

Posted by Jacqueline on October 27th, 2010 in Our Garden

Jatropha podagrica (Buddha Belly Plant or Gout Stick), a popular tropical herbaceous perennial belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family and native to Central America, is ever so generous!

Not only does it produces flowers and seeds so readily, it self-sow as easily too without any fuss from seeds that are thrust far and wide when its highly dehiscent seed pods ripen and explode.

Propagating Jatropha by seeds that germinate easily is rather simple actually, but gathering the seeds is a tricky business altogether. Thus, if you’re really keen to get as many seedlings from your garden plant, be sure to bag the seed pods as they start to turn brown with a plastic bag or netted cloth/stocking to capture the seeds.

Otherwise, when the greenish seed pods begin to mature and ripen to blackish brown when you least expect, they will burst open to scatter the seeds several meters away and would be rather difficult to trace then.

Once the smooth and glossy brown seeds are collected, you can sow them about 3 cm apart and 1 cm deep, directly into your garden bed or in a pot filled with well-drained potting medium that is mixed with some coarse sand. Best that they be sited at a sunny spot. With sufficient heat and the soil kept evenly moist, the seeds should germinate easily with 2 weeks.

Learn more about this lovely medicinal plant, Jatropha podagrica and its culture here.

Enjoy gathering and sowing seeds!

Tags: flowering plants, medicinal, our garden, perennials, propagation, propagation by seeds