Jatropha Trees, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida

Jatropha is a fast, heat-loving small tree that throws red flower clusters nearly all year in SW Florida with very little water. It stays 6 to 15 ft, so it suits a corner or entry where you want long color. One caution: every part is poisonous if eaten, so think about kids and pets. Our crew delivers and plants 7 gallon trees.

Light:: Full sun
Water:: Low to moderate; drought tolerant once established
Salt:: Moderate for salt spray; poor in salty soil

Text Me a Planted Price Call (239) 799-5594

Jatropha Tree sizes we deliver and plant

Every size below is planted by our crew, set at the right depth and watered in. Send the size and how many, and we text back a planted price, usually within the hour during the day.

Plant	Sizes
Jatropha Tree	7 Gallon

Jatropha Tree in SW Florida, at a glance

Mature size here: 6 to 15 ft tall and about as wide; pruning keeps it smaller
Light: Full sun
Water: Low to moderate; drought tolerant once established
Salt tolerance: Moderate for salt spray; poor in salty soil
Cold tolerance: Leaves drop and tips burn near 32°F, and a hard freeze can cut it to the ground; it often resprouts. Coastal Lee is usually fine, cover young trees inland on frost nights
Growth rate: Fast
Florida native: No
Botanical name: Jatropha integerrima

Where Jatropha Tree works in a SW Florida yard

Jatropha fits best as a small specimen tree at an entry, a patio corner or the back of a sunny bed. It gives little shade, so think accent, not canopy. Train it to one trunk or let it grow with several.

Blue daze and society garlic make good low plantings underneath. Put it where children and pets will not chew the seeds.

Year-round red accent
Entry or patio corner
Hot, dry sunny spots
Hummingbird and butterfly color

How our crew plants it

Jatropha goes in full sun and well-drained soil, with the root ball level with the ground and a stake only if the site is windy. Our crew sets the depth, waters it in and cleans up.

New trees need frequent watering for the first couple of months under Lee and Collier's new planting rules, then very little, since established jatropha is drought tolerant.

Care after planting

Prune in March, after cold danger passes, to shape the tree and keep it from sprawling.
Water lightly once rooted; soggy soil in the rainy season hurts it more than a dry spell.
Feed in spring with a slow-release fertilizer that has micronutrients, and skip any fertilizer containing nitrogen or phosphorus from June 1 to September 30.
Wear gloves when pruning and wash up afterward, since all parts are poisonous if eaten.

What to watch for

All parts of jatropha are poisonous if eaten, and the speckled seeds in the capsules are the most tempting to kids and pets, so keep it out of play areas.
Mites, scale and leaf miner bother it occasionally, though the damage is mostly cosmetic.

Jatropha Tree questions we hear

Is jatropha poisonous to dogs and kids?+

Yes. UF/IFAS says all parts of jatropha are poisonous if eaten, and the speckled seeds are toxic. Keep it away from play areas and pet yards, wear gloves when pruning, and call poison control or your vet right away if someone chews on it.

Does jatropha bloom all year in Florida?+

Nearly. Red flower clusters appear year-round in warm weather, with fewer in winter cold snaps. Full sun and a spring prune keep it blooming, and the flowers draw hummingbirds and butterflies.

Will jatropha survive a freeze in Cape Coral?+

Usually, near the coast. Jatropha is a zone 10B to 11 tree, so frost burns leaves and tips, and a hard freeze can cut it to the ground. It often resprouts from the base. Cover young trees on frost nights, and wait until March to prune out damage.

Updated October 2026