Jatropha macrantha (Huanarpo Macho)

Native to southwestern Ecuador and western Peru, this semisucculent shrub grows in seasonally dry habitats. Thick, pale gray stems have conspicuous rounded leaf scars and peeling whitish bark. Long-stalked leaves are deeply divided into three to five broad lobes, with heart-shaped bases. Compact flower clusters carry bright red to scarlet blossoms with separate, oblong petals. Male and female flowers occur on the plant. Nearly spherical, three-lobed capsules contain brown seeds. The foliage may be shed during dry periods, with flowering concentrated in the rainy growing season. It can be propagated from stem cuttings. Photographed in Peru.