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Jatropha multifida

I have had luck with this plant here in Galveston, Texas. Though it does lose it's leaves in our winters, it faithfully sprouts back from the barren stems in the spring. Blooms all summer and is basically care free. Very nice plant!

I garden for enjoyment and butterflies. This plant is just great, yeah there are problems with the seeds (about an inch in diameter), and the constant new shoots that pop up everywhere within the range of the outer branches, but it's strange, seemingly without direction, branch growth is one of the features that make having this plant worthwhile. While having good growth, it still lets enough light through for most ground cover plants and small bushes to grow underneath. The leaves drop off as branches grow so the leaf growth is a clump of leaves at the end of the branch only. It's well tended to by Zebra Longwings, Monarch's and the Gulf Fritillary (and too many smaller butterfiles to identify.) From experience take this warning. When trimming the branches be carefull not to let the sap get on your clothing as it will stain like blood. Five or six washings will eventually get out the stain.
My largest bush is about 15 feet tall. It blooms all year round here in S. Florida. It does drop leaves, more often in the winter months than the summer. But the flowers are always there year round for the butterflies.

They are self seeding also.

I haven't had this plant very long, but I have had it long enough to know that it will not take freezing temps, despite it showing that it will take to 25 degrees F in the profile. My neighbor and I both had some of these and hers died last winter from the cold - I had mine in the green house where it did wonderfully. . . . so, beware of the cold with this plant.

Easily grown on my property in Miami, Florida, this plant grew to well over 12' tall, dropped bright yellow/orange seeds and new shoots sprang from those seeds. If left alone (not ripped up or mowed over) the new shoots grow very, very rapidly and can be uprooted by just pulling them from the ground and repotted.

Several small plants died in this new area (Citrus County) due to the extreme cold winter last year (close to freezing temperatures.) I returned to Miami, found more seeds, replanted them, and now have two lovely plants growing. One is approximately 2' tall and the other is over 3-1/2" tall. I will keep them inside during the colder months. When a branch is cut, trimmed, etc., the juice from this plant will exude a reddish color sap. They seem to not need any special care and grow easily and very tall.

This Jatropha is a bit marginal for my USDA Zone 9b that I've been trying to grow it in. It is deciduous for sure and the leaves tend to droop most of the summer, but it does flower and leaf out every spring/summer.

I saw this plant in a Hawaii where it grows quite large; in fact, I think they consider it a true weed there. The leaves don't droop there and it looks much happier. Nice, finely divided maple-like leave with interesting orange-red pincushion-like flowers on the very top of the plant.