These range in habitat from the Caribbean to Central and North America, Africa, India and Southeast Asia, where it was spread by Portuguese merchants. While the plant features unusual-looking flowers, its real power is derived from the oil contained in its seeds. This oil is used for a variety of purposes - cooking, cleaning, dyeing agents, lubricants - in many poor countries, but as a potentially lucrative biofuel source, it could also have the power to transform their economies.