PlantFiles: Spinach Tree, Tread Softly
Cnidoscolus aconitifolius

Why is the synonym of this Jatropha? I question that although the leaves do look similar but not the flowers nor growth pattern. This is also somewhat similar to Cnidoscolus chayamansa also known as Chaya.

I love this small tree. It has a gorgeous shape & is fast growing into a bush or shaped more like a small tree. Butterflies are always on it & it has blooms all the time. It seems there may be 2 kinds of the bush. One with rounded or pointed palmate leaves. Mine are the pointed, as the pictures here show.
Several sites say that if you fully boil the leaves 1 minute the toxins are removed (much like a lot of wildfoods). Of course I don't recommend other people to try wildfoods because they may have different reactions but I enjoy them. I plucked several leaves, rinsed then sliced them into strips, covered w/water & brought to a boil for 1 minute. Heating a skillet with a little olive oil, I threw in some sliced onions then plunked the drained leaves in & simmer about a minute, Served with salt (same way I serve Poke), I found it very enjoyable & flavorful, much like a tough spinach.

Zebra Longwings love this plant!

I recently got a rooted cutting from this plant from a friend that grows it. She echoed the comments above -- that it is one of the best butterfly attractors in her garden and that the plant is very easy to root from cuttings. I am looking forward to growing it.

In regard to ArtCons note that the plant leaves may cause skin irritation, this plant is in the same genus (Cnidoscolus) as Stinging Nettle (Cnidoscolus stimulosus), so it probably has some of the same small hairs that can cause burning and itching on contact.

When I first saw this plant in my friend's yard, I presumed it was a Jatropha, and I see above in the alternate botanical name that the taxonomists also seemed to think it was a Jatropha at one time. The leaves are very similar in shape to Jatropha podagrica (Buddha Belly Plant).

Jeremy

are there any pictures available of this tree please?

i've been googling and can't seem to find any.

all help appreciated

sned e/mail message if you can please.

len

[HYPERLINK@www.gardenlen.com]

The Chaya, or Spinach Tree has been a favorite of mine since day one. I currently have two growing here. One has been moved from my S fence to just on the North side of the fence around my pool. It showed no signs of damage from the move and it was a mature bush almost 6' tall when I moved it. The tree had a few flowers on it before the move. It didn't loose them after I moved it.

The second tree, which was my original from a cutting at Universal Studio's, will be three years old this summer. It is currently about 6-7'. I will keep it around 10' this year. At that height I can get close to the butterflies that frequent the tree so I can take pictures of them.

The tree has a tight canopy that doesn't permit much light through to the ground, so it can be used to put sun sensitive plants underneath. The tree can be kept to a desired height with trimming and it creates deep shade.

I get irritations on my bare arms and legs that cause a mild stinging when I rub against it. These quickly go away and do not form rashes, but they are a reminder to be carefull when pruning this bush. I believe the irritations come from the fine hairs on the leaves rather than the "milk" the tree produces when cut. The irritations are minor and do not form a rash.

In almost three years I have seen no evidence of the tree being invasive. Not one has sprouted from seeds or runners. It will make other trees from clippings left behind when it is trimmed. Just a small cut piece left on the ground will produce other trees, guaranteed!

Two of the trees back up to a concrete wall without any adverse effects from the concrete.

They bloom here in S. Florida zone 10, February through late December or when the first cold snap hits. A few flowers remain on the tree through the winter months.

The flowers are small white clusters, with up to six or seven clusters on a single shoot coming up from a mature leaf grouping. The clusters of small flowers form a "landing pad" for butterflies. Once they have landed on the cluster of small flowers they can feed from a bunch of flowers without hardly moving.

These trees are by far and away the single best butterfly attractors in my yard.

The trees grow well in direct sun and mostly shade. They flower well in either environment. It is an evergreen plant with attractive, shiny, leaves to about 10" across.

I have show three photos of different trees in the yard. The pictures show the tree height at six months, one year and two years old. I did this to show how fast and big this plant can get here in zone 10.

I live in the Tampa area and have been growing this plant for 4 years. It will take a light freeze but 28 degrees or so will kill everything above the ground. It does come back rapidly in the spring but as a multi-stemmed bush. It will attract aphids and mealy bugs so you must keep an eye on it. Mine seems to grow to about eight feet and flowers most of the year. It is very easy to propagate from stem cuttings. Soil pH from 5.5 to 6.5 works best. I have had no chlorosis from mineral deficiencies. The foliage is attractive and the white flower spikes contrast well with its dark green color. Give it plenty of space and lots of sun and you will enjoy this plant.