Jatropha Curcas, Barbados Nut - 0.5 kg Seeds

Physic Nut or Barbados Nut (Jatropha curcas) is a hardy, fast-growing large shrub or small tree whose oil-rich seeds are a well-known feedstock for biodiesel. Drought-resistant and largely unbrowsed by livestock, it is widely used as a living fence and on degraded land.

Grown across the drier parts of India for bio-energy plantations, wasteland reclamation and boundary hedges, it tolerates poor, stony and saline soils and long dry spells. The seed oil also yields soap and lamp fuel, while the latex and leaves have traditional medicinal and pesticidal uses; note that the seeds and sap are toxic if ingested.

• Family: Euphorbiaceae
• Native region: tropical America (widely naturalised)
• Mature height: 3–5 m
• Growth rate: very fast

Soak the black seeds in water for 12–24 hours to speed germination, then sow them about 2–3 cm deep directly in the field or in polybags of well-drained mix. Kept warm (25–33 °C) and moist, they germinate quickly in roughly 7–14 days. Grow seedlings on briefly and transplant with the rains, or sow directly along bund lines; the plant also strikes very easily from large stem cuttings.