Jatropha scaposa Radcl.-Sm.

scaposa: with a scape or leafless peduncle from the ground

Perennial herb up to 40 cm tall. Leafy stems and flowering shoots arising separately from a stout woody, tuberous rootstock. Leaves up to 15 × 17 cm, palmately 5-lobed, with median lobe largest, up to 8 × 3.5 cm, thinly textured, densely hairy on both surfaces when young, finely velvety when mature, widely cordate at the base; lateral veins up to 18 pairs per lobe; margin entire; petiole up to 7.5 cm long. Inflorescences branched, up to 22 × 15 cm on a flowering stem up to 15 cm long. Flowers unisexual; male flowers lemon-yellow; female flowers yellowish-green. Fruit a 3-lobed or subspherical capsule, c. 1.5 × 1.5 cm, finely wrinkled and covered with small wart-like protuberances.

Coastal plain of Mozambique