Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Peregrina (Jatropha integerrima)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Peregrina, Spicy Jatropha, Peregrina Jatropha.

More about peregrina

About Peregrina

Jatropha integerrima · also called Peregrina, Spicy Jatropha · flowering

Peregrina is a vigorous, evergreen tropical shrub or small tree from Cuba, prized for its near-continuous display of vivid crimson-red flowers and attractive, variably shaped leaves. It is a top performer in warm-climate gardens and a standout container plant. Full sun maximises flowering; it is frost-tender but recovers quickly from brief light frost damage.

Cold limit: USDA 10b-11 · RHS H1b (10 to 38 °C)

Watch for — Leaf drop in cool temperatures: Temperatures below 10 °C cause leaf drop and stem dieback. The plant typically resprouts from the base or lower stems when warmth returns. Bring container specimens indoors before the first cool spell.

What peregrina's hardiness rating actually means

Peregrina 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 H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10b-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 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Peregrina has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for peregrina as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °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 peregrina go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °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 peregrina can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Peregrina hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is peregrina cold hardy?

Peregrina 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. Peregrina can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10b-11); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature peregrina can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Peregrina has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is peregrina?

Peregrina is rated USDA 10b-11 and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can peregrina survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °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 peregrina below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °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.