BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION:
Jatropha multifida
General: A small spreading tree
Leaves: The leaves are large, deeply cut (fingered or palmate)
Fruit: The fruits are fleshy.
Jatropha curcas
General: A shrub or small tree of up to 5 m high.
Leaves: The heart-shaped leaves have long leaf-stalks.
Flowers: Small and yellow
Fruit: Egg-shaped, dark brown, splitting open to reveal 2 -3 black seeds.
TOXIC PRINCIPLE:
• The seeds of Jatropha spp. contain curcin, a toxalbumin with an action similar to that of ricin.
• The leaves of Jatropha multifida are also rich in cyanogenic glycosides.
• It is suspected that ruminants that browse on the leaves can suffer from prussic acid poisoning.
SYNDROMES:
Toxalbumin.
SYSTEMS AFFECTED:
Gastro-intestinal system.
CLINICAL SIGNS:
Appear within hours after ingestion of the seed and include diarrhoea, dyspnoea, dehydration and loss of condition.
