Jatropha podagrica

Native from southern Mexico to Nicaragua, this plant is a succulent shrub of seasonally dry tropical habitats. Its swollen stem base, called a caudex, and large lobed leaves make it a distinctive container and bonsai plant. Orange-red flowers are carried in flat-topped clusters. The initially green capsules turn brown at maturity and open forcefully, scattering their seeds away from the parent plant. All parts are poisonous if eaten, and its milky sap can irritate skin. Photographed in Barranquilla, Colombia.