Jatropha gossypiifolia L., Sp. Pl. 2: 1006. 1753; Muell. Arg. in DC., Prodr. 15(2): 1086. 1866; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 5: 383. 1890; Pax in Engl. Pflanzenreich 4: 147.1: 26. 1910; Parker, For. Fl. Punj. ed. 1: 461. 1918 (Reprint 1970); Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org vol. 12; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org p. 78.

A soft-wooded erect shrub, to 3 m tall, monoecious. Stems erect, brown, sparsely to much branched, woody-succulent, hirsute, glandular when young. Short shoots absent; latex viscous, colorless. Leaves persistent or drought-deciduous, +/- evenly distributed on long shoots; petiole 3-14 cm long with branched stipitate glands adaxially; leaf blade cordate to ovate in outline, dark bronze-coloured, 4-18 cm x 4-13.5 cm, 3-5-lobed, palmatifid or palmatipartite, median lobe 4-10 cm x 2-5 cm, the laterals smaller, 3-5-veined from base with 9-12 pairs of lateral veins per lobe, margins usually serrulate-denticulate or glandular-ciliate, rarely entire, apex acuminate, membranous, surface glabrous or sparsely hairy, especially on veins. Stipules persistent, slender, multifid, 3-4 mm x 5-6 mm, each segment filiform, ending in stipitate gland. Inflorescence bisexual, terminal and subterminal cymes, paniculate, 8-18 cm long with 6-8 cm long peduncle; bracts 6-16 mm long, linear-lanceolate, margin entire, glandular-ciliate; pedicels 1-2 mm. Male flowers: Sepals 5, connate at base, lobes lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, 2 mm x 1 mm, acute, margin stipitate-glandular and ciliate. Petals 5, imbricate, campanulate, connate 1/4-1/2 length, broadly obovate, 3.5 mm x 2 mm, apex rounded, orange-red to purple with lighter centre. Disc glands free, turbinate, truncate. Stamens 8, the 5 outer 2 mm long, the 3 inner 3 mm long; anthers 0.6 mm long, filaments of each whorl connate 1/4-1/2+ length, outer whorl 1.4-3 mm, inner whorl 1.8-4 mm. Female flowers: 8-9 mm across. Calyx ca. 6 mm long, sepals 5, connate at base, lobes lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, 5 mm x 3 mm, acute or acuminate, margin stipitate-glandular and ciliate. Corolla campanulate, petals 5, connate for 1/4-1/2 at base, lobes broad, 3 mm x 3.5 mm, broadly obovate, apex rounded or shallowly retuse. Disc shallowly 5-lobed, the lobes retuse. Ovary trilobate-subglobose, ca. 2 mm x 2 mm, somewhat hirsute; trilocular, each loculus with one ovule; styles 3, 1-1.5 mm long, bifid. Fruit rounded-trilobate, ca. 1 cm x 1 cm, sparingly hirsute to subglabrous, septicidally and loculicidally dehiscent. Seeds compressed, ovoid-ellipsoid, 9 mm x 6 mm, pale greyish-brown, caruncle multifid, 3 mm wide.

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