''Jatropha costaricensis'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the euphorb family known by the common name Costa Rican jatropha. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

. First discovered in 1974 and described to science in 1978,Webster, G. L. and L. J. Poveda. (1978)
A phytogeographically significant new species of ''Jatropha'' (Euphorbiaceae) from Costa Rica.
''Brittonia'' 30:2 265. this species was added to the

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

list of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1984 because it was in danger of

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

and was not protected under any Costa Rican or international laws. At that time there was only one population known, located near

Playas del Coco Playas del Coco is one of the oldest beach communities in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. This region is also one of the fastest-growing tourism areas in Costa Rica. A popular destination for both local Costa Ricans and visitors from other ...

Guanacaste Province Guanacaste () is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern region of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Alajuela Province to the east, and Puntarenas Province to the southeast. I ...

.USFWS
Determination of endangered status for ''Jatropha costaricensis'' (Costa Rican Jatropha).
''Federal Register'' July 27, 1984.

References

External links

costaricensis Endemic flora of Costa Rica Endangered flora of North America Plants described in 1978 {{Euphorb-stub