Jatropha rivae is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae native to the deserts and dry shrublands of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania.

[1][2][3] Jatropha rivae is a deciduous shrub, growing up to 2.5 metres (8 ft) tall, with purple-brown young twigs.

The leaf margin is entire to dentate or sinuately lobed, and the apex is rounded to emarginate.

[2][3]It is found in Acacia-Commiphora bushland, growing in deep sands and alluvial soils left behind by flowing water.

It also grows in gypsaceous soils and on limestone, and it is distributed across a wide range of altitudes, from sea level up to 1150 m high.