Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Berlandier's Jatropha (Jatropha berlandieri)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Berlandier's Jatropha, Baseball Jatropha, Sangre de Drago.

More about berlandier's jatropha

About Berlandier's Jatropha

Jatropha berlandieri · also called Berlandier's Jatropha, Baseball Jatropha · tropical

Berlandier's Jatropha is a caudiciform succulent native to northern Mexico and the Rio Grande region of Texas. It develops a large, globose, pale-grey caudex that can be grown partially exposed above the soil for bonsai-like display. Blue-green lobed leaves and small clusters of coral-pink flowers emerge in summer. All parts are toxic.

Cold limit: USDA 9b-11 · RHS H1c (10 to 38 °C)

Watch for — Caudex and root rot: Overwatering, especially in cool or low-light conditions, rapidly causes internal caudex rot that is often invisible until the plant collapses. Always use a fast-draining mix and withhold water in winter completely.

What berlandier's jatropha's hardiness rating actually means

Berlandier's Jatropha is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9b-11 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Berlandier's Jatropha has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for berlandier's jatropha as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can berlandier's jatropha go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when berlandier's jatropha can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Berlandier's Jatropha hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is berlandier's jatropha cold hardy?

Berlandier's Jatropha is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Berlandier's Jatropha can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 9b-11); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature berlandier's jatropha can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Berlandier's Jatropha has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is berlandier's jatropha?

Berlandier's Jatropha is rated USDA 9b-11 and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can berlandier's jatropha survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to berlandier's jatropha below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.