Growing Jojo (Pfaffia grandiflora): A Lesser-Known Puerto Rican Native
If you’re looking to add some Caribbean flair to your garden, you might have stumbled upon a plant called jojo—scientifically known as Pfaffia grandiflora. This intriguing shrub hails from the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, but here’s the thing: it’s something of a botanical mystery in the gardening world.
What Exactly Is Jojo?
Jojo is a perennial shrub that’s native exclusively to Puerto Rico. Like most shrubs, it’s a woody, multi-stemmed plant that typically stays under 13-16 feet tall, though it can occasionally grow taller or develop a single stem depending on environmental conditions. You might also find it listed under its botanical synonym, Iresine grandiflora Hook., in some older plant references.
Where Does Jojo Grow Naturally?
This plant calls Puerto Rico home and appears to be found nowhere else naturally. As a true Puerto Rican endemic, it’s part of the island’s unique botanical heritage.
The Challenge: Limited Growing Information
Here’s where things get tricky for gardeners—there’s surprisingly little detailed information available about growing jojo successfully. This could mean several things:
- It might be quite rare in its native habitat
- It hasn’t been widely cultivated outside Puerto Rico
- It may have specific growing requirements that haven’t been well documented
- It simply hasn’t gained popularity in mainstream gardening
What We Don’t Know (Yet)
Unfortunately, many details that gardeners typically want to know remain mysteries:
- Specific USDA hardiness zones
- Detailed growing conditions and soil preferences
- Mature size and growth rate
- Flowering characteristics and aesthetic appeal
- Pollinator and wildlife benefits
- Propagation methods
- Potential invasive tendencies (though none are currently documented)
Should You Try Growing Jojo?
Given the limited information available, jojo presents both an opportunity and a challenge. If you’re an adventurous gardener who loves experimenting with rare or unusual plants, and particularly if you have connections to Puerto Rico or are passionate about Caribbean native plants, jojo could be an interesting addition to your collection.
However, the lack of cultivation information means you’d essentially be pioneering its garden use. Since it’s a Puerto Rican native, you’d likely need a warm, tropical or subtropical climate to have success with it.
A Word of Caution and Alternatives
Before seeking out this plant, consider that its rarity in cultivation might indicate it’s either difficult to grow outside its native environment or possibly rare in the wild. If you do find a source, make sure it’s from responsible, ethical suppliers who aren’t depleting wild populations.
If you’re drawn to Caribbean native plants but want something with more established growing information, consider exploring other Puerto Rican or Caribbean natives that are better documented and more readily available in the nursery trade.
The Bottom Line
Jojo remains an enigma in the gardening world—a Puerto Rican native with potential but precious little practical growing information. While this makes it an intriguing plant for dedicated collectors and native plant enthusiasts, most gardeners would be better served choosing well-documented native alternatives for their region. Sometimes the most mysterious plants are the ones that teach us the most about respecting and preserving biodiversity, even if we can’t grow them in our own backyards.
